Dave Hope
A founding member of Kansas whose thunderous bass lines anchored the band's progressive rock sound before a dramatic personal transformation.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American bass guitarist·Birthday: October 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dave Hope's musical journey began not with a guitar but with brass, playing tuba and trumpet in his Kansas high school band. That foundation in low-end frequencies served him well when he co-founded the progressive rock outfit Kansas in 1970. For over a decade, his bass provided the muscular, driving undercurrent to hits like 'Carry On Wayward Son,' becoming a visual fixture on stage with his wild hair and energetic presence. The 1970s rock and roll lifestyle took a heavy toll, however, with Hope descending into significant drug use. In 1980, he experienced a profound shift, becoming a born-again Christian and leaving his hard-living ways behind. This new path led him to depart the band in 1983 and eventually become an ordained minister, trading the roar of stadiums for a life of spiritual service, a turn as unexpected as any musical key change.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dave was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the influential American progressive rock band Kansas in 1970.
- Played bass on all of Kansas's classic albums through 1983, including the multi-platinum 'Leftoverture' and 'Point of Know Return.'
- Provided the foundational bass line for the band's signature hit, 'Carry On Wayward Son.'
- Maintained a continuous, defining role in the band's sound and lineup for its first 13 years.
Did You Know?
Before picking up the bass, he played tuba and trumpet in his school band.
He was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church after leaving Kansas.
His nickname in the early Kansas days was 'The Judge.'
“The bass line is the foundation; you have to build it solid and true.”
