Kerry Livgren's Miracles Out of Somewhere - Progressive Rock Music Forum

For those of you who don't know, this is KANSAS founder/guitarist Kerry Livgren's second book. His first book, Seeds of Change, appeared around the same time as the solo album of the same name. It went through a number of printings and updates, but is now long out of print. This new book, Miracles Out of Somewhere, covers the big events in Kerry's life of the past 25 years, but also has room for a lot of memories dating back to his childhood.

If there's any drawback to this book, it's the sense of "senior citizens gathered around the fireplace, randomly reminiscing". The stories do not follow any chronology, and many subjects are returned to again and again. What kind of stories?

1. A major part of this book is medically oriented: both Kerry and his wife have spent A LOT of time in doctors offices/hospitals. The centerpiece story is, of course, the stroke that nearly killed him in 2009 and his long, slow recovery.

2. Many stories about the early days of KANSAS (including opening for acts like the Doors and the J.Geils Band) and the band's initiation into "celebrity" life.

3. Guitar and musical instrument stories, including writing "Dust in The Wind".

4. Travel / touring / airplane stories (Kerry is a pilot).

5. Many memories of Kerry's childhood and adolescence in the 1950's and 1960's, with seeing and meeting Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds in Emporia, Kansas in 1965 being a highlight.

And that about covers it. If you're looking for in-depth analysis of the albums he's appeared on, you've come to the wrong place. In fact, there's very little mention of ANY music written after 1981. Livgren writes well and comes across as very down-to-earth and humble. This is NOT a jaded-rock-star "tell all", but rather a "regular guy" who's done and experienced some amazing things in his life.

As he puts it himself in the "Pre-Ramble": "These stories are things that I consider to be miraculous, or nearly miraculous. Regarding their status as miracles, you must judge for yourself." This book may be ordered through his numavox.com website.

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
Marcos87 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: October 23 2012 Location: Argentina Status: Offline Points: 27	Post Options Post Reply Quote Marcos87 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Kerry Livgren's Miracles Out of Somewhere Posted: March 15 2022 at 13:21
	Thanks Steve, for a long time i was searching his previous book (Seeds of change) without any sucess. I'll try to buy this new one!
	galeriaderaices.bandcamp.com/

Steve Wyzard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 30 2017 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 2567	Post Options Post Reply Quote Steve Wyzard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November 13 2021 at 19:44
	For those of you who don't know, this is KANSAS founder/guitarist Kerry Livgren's second book. His first book, Seeds of Change, appeared around the same time as the solo album of the same name. It went through a number of printings and updates, but is now long out of print. This new book, Miracles Out of Somewhere, covers the big events in Kerry's life of the past 25 years, but also has room for a lot of memories dating back to his childhood. If there's any drawback to this book, it's the sense of "senior citizens gathered around the fireplace, randomly reminiscing". The stories do not follow any chronology, and many subjects are returned to again and again. What kind of stories? 1. A major part of this book is medically oriented: both Kerry and his wife have spent A LOT of time in doctors offices/hospitals. The centerpiece story is, of course, the stroke that nearly killed him in 2009 and his long, slow recovery. 2. Many stories about the early days of KANSAS (including opening for acts like the Doors and the J.Geils Band) and the band's initiation into "celebrity" life. 3. Guitar and musical instrument stories, including writing "Dust in The Wind". 4. Travel / touring / airplane stories (Kerry is a pilot). 5. Many memories of Kerry's childhood and adolescence in the 1950's and 1960's, with seeing and meeting Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds in Emporia, Kansas in 1965 being a highlight. And that about covers it. If you're looking for in-depth analysis of the albums he's appeared on, you've come to the wrong place. In fact, there's very little mention of ANY music written after 1981. Livgren writes well and comes across as very down-to-earth and humble. This is NOT a jaded-rock-star "tell all", but rather a "regular guy" who's done and experienced some amazing things in his life. As he puts it himself in the "Pre-Ramble": "These stories are things that I consider to be miraculous, or nearly miraculous. Regarding their status as miracles, you must judge for yourself." This book may be ordered through his numavox.com website.