Phil Ehart, of the band Kansas has always been one of my favorite rock stars. Fantastic drummer, manager of the preeminent American prog band, champion of a sure mid-Western work ethic, committed dad and husband, and a nice guy (I met him once and was taken with how down-to-Earth he was and how he bid me to sit right down next to him in the hotel bar where I had come to interview him and the other Kansas OG, the band’s guitarist Rich Williams). I suspected his autobiography I Am Phil, written with Paul Braoudakis would be a solid interesting honest account.
It is so much more.
What we get here is the story of Phi’s life from being born an ‘Army Brat,’ finding the drums (and never taking a lesson) putting together and playing in various bands, and finally managing to put the pieces in place to form Kansas…yes, in Kansas! Phil tells the story of the band’s rise to superstardom, as much as the decline of their fame and fortune and rise again through the lean years of the music they played and wrote, and a slew of personnel changes that sees the band still chugging now 50+ years on.
But this is not just a rock star’s tale. In fact, Mr. E. is far and away not your typical rockstar, on so many levels, and in I Am Phil we see how his family, faith and even volunteering all are interwoven into the rich tapestry of a life he seems ever grateful for. I’m sure this guy has ego in spades, you don’t steer a ship like Kansas, and enjoy the accolades they have, and pretty much are regarded as one of the best at what you do, without enjoying some humble measure of your abilities. But really, a more down-to-Earth appreciative guy than Phil Ehart you won’t find and this ‘tude truly comes across in this book I kinda just gobbled up!
Really, the book is just a great read, fan of Kanas might you be or not.
You can grab I Am Phil (and I prompt you to do so) here: https://philehart.net/collections/all
