Well, howdy there! Let me tell ya’ll somethin’ ’bout this fella, this Kansas Billy Greer. Heard tell he’s been playin’ that bass guitar for near on forty years with them Kansas fellas. Forty years! That’s a long darn time, I tell ya. Longer than I’ve been milkin’ cows, and that’s sayin’ somethin’.
Now, I ain’t no music expert or nothin’, but even I know that’s a big deal. Seems like this Billy fella, he joined up with the band back in the eighties, ’round ’85 or so, they say. And he’s been thumpin’ that bass ever since. Made his first record with ’em in ’86, somethin’ called “Power.” Heard it on the radio once, sounded mighty loud!
- They say he was born in 1952, this Billy. Makes him an old fella now, I reckon.
- But he sure could play that bass. Heard folks say he sang too, somethin’ called “co-lead vocals.” Fancy, huh?
- And he wasn’t just with Kansas, ya know. Played with another fella from the band, Steve Walsh, in a group called Streets. Streets, huh? Guess they played on the streets or somethin’.
But now, they’re sayin’ he’s done. Retired, they call it. Just up and quit, like an old mule that’s had enough of plowin’ fields. September 6th, 2024, that’s the day they say it happened. Kansas folks, they put it on them Facebook and Instagram things. Don’t know much about them, but the young’uns are always lookin’ at ’em.
They say Billy was loyal and dedicated. Guess that means he showed up on time and played his bass good. And talented too. Well, I reckon you gotta be talented to play music for forty years. Can’t just be bangin’ on pots and pans, ya know.
It’s kinda sad, though. Forty years is a long time to be doin’ somethin’. Must feel strange to just stop. Like stoppin’ milkin’ the cows, I guess. You get used to it, you know? It becomes part of your life. But I reckon everyone gets tired eventually. Even bass players.
Heard some folks talkin’ ’bout his “musical journey” and his “gear.” Don’t rightly know what all that means, but sounds like he had a good time. And they said somethin’ about a new album, “Absence of Presence.” Sounds kinda spooky, don’t it? Like a ghost or somethin’. But I guess that’s what them music folks like.
So, there ya have it. Billy Greer, the Kansas bass player, he’s done. Retired after forty years. It’s the end of an era, they say. For nearly four decades, he thumped that bass and sang them songs. And now he’s gone. Well, not gone gone, I reckon. Just gone from the band. Probably sittin’ on his porch somewhere, sippin’ sweet tea and listenin’ to the birds sing. Or maybe he’s still thumpin’ that bass, just for himself this time. Who knows?
Anyways, that’s the story as I heard it. Just a good ol’ boy playin’ music for a long, long time. And now he’s movin’ on. Nothin’ wrong with that, I reckon. Life goes on, ya know? Just like the seasons, things change. But the music, well, that stays around. And maybe, just maybe, folks will still be listenin’ to Billy Greer’s bass thumpin’ for years to come.
And that’s all I gotta say ’bout that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go check on them chickens.
Tags: [Billy Greer, Kansas, Bassist, Retirement, Musician, Rock Band, Music History, American Musician, 1985-2024, Power, Streets, Steve Walsh, Absence of Presence]
