Richard Williams

Richard John "Rich" Williams (born February 1, 1950) is the guitarist for the American rock band Kansas, and has been with them since their 1974 self-titled debut album. Williams lost his right eye in a childhood fireworks accident. He wore a prosthetic eye for many years, but now wears an eye patch instead. In the beginning, Williams shared guitar duties with keyboardist/guitarist Kerry Livgren. In the late 1980s, he shared guitar-playing with Steve Morse. After various personnel changes in Kansas, Williams became the band's only dedicated guitarist until Zak Rizvi joined the band in 2016, although David Ragsdale would play some guitar parts when the band plays songs with little or no violin, such as "Portrait (He Knew)", "Fight Fire With Fire", and "Carry On Wayward Son". Williams and Phil Ehart are the only two original founding members of Kansas who have never left the band, and have played on all Kansas' albums. Among the songs he co-wrote with the band are "Can I Tell You", "No Room for a Stranger", and the hit "Play the Game Tonight".