Question: What year did an American rock band initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles written by Kerry Livgren for their 1976 album "Leftoverture", become popular?

Context articles: Kansas (band)
Burning Down One Side
People of the South Wind
Song for America (song)
Kansas (Kansas album)
Art of the State
Carry On Wayward Son
Kansas discography
Somewhere to Elsewhere
Hold On (Kansas song)

Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind".
 The band has produced eight gold albums, three multi-platinum albums ("Leftoverture", "Point of Know Return", "The Best of Kansas"), one platinum live album ("Two for the Show") and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind".
 Kansas appeared on the "Billboard" charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan.
 "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on US classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.
"Burning Down One Side" is a song by English recording artist Robert Plant from his debut solo studio album, "Pictures at Eleven" (1982).
 It was the most popular track from the album on album-oriented rock radio in the United States, peaking at No. 3 on the "Billboard" Top Tracks chart in 1982.
 Later released as the first single from the album, it only managed to reach No. 64 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and No. 73 on the UK Singles Chart.
 The UK B-side "Far Post" was a moderate AOR (album-oriented rock) radio hit in the US, reaching No. 12 on the Top Tracks chart in January 1983.
 This song features Genesis' Phil Collins on drums, as do many other songs off this same album.
"People of the South Wind" is a progressive rock single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1979 album "Monolith".
 Following the success of previous singles "Carry On Wayward Son", "Point of Know Return", and "Dust in the Wind", the song became the band's fourth Top 40 hit.
"Song for America" is the title track from the second album of American progressive rock band, Kansas.
 It was written by guitarist/keyboardist Kerry Livgren during the period of heavy touring for their first album.
 The song was released on their 1975 album "Song for America", and later released as the band's third single, although it did not chart.
 It is known for its symphonic structure, and its lyrics showing America's state before and after colonization.
 It appears on most of their live albums and DVDs.
 The song is one of Kansas' biggest hits from their period of obscurity, appearing on most of their greatest hits and live albums.
Kansas is the eponymous debut studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1974 by Kirshner and Epic Records.
 Kansas's debut album followed the merging of two Topeka musical camps: Kerry Livgren, from a previous Kansas line-up, and White Clover, which played mainstream rock and blues.
 The newly formed group signed with Kirshner Records in 1973 and traveled to New York to record their first release.
 The material on "Kansas", written mostly by guitarist/keyboardist Livgren and vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh, had been culled from the repertoire of both groups.
 Livgren's songs were generally longer and more elaborate than Walsh's and featured mystical lyrics which reflected his intense interest in Eastern religions.
 "Journey from Mariabronn" was inspired by Hermann Hesse's "Narcissus and Goldmund", while "Belexes" and "Aperçu" were influenced by the pseudo-Asian sound of Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot".
Art of the State is the first studio album by the Christian rock band AD, and the third solo album for its leader Kerry Livgren.
 The album was re-issued in the late 1990s under Kerry's new record label, Numavox Records.
"Carry On Wayward Son" is a single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1976 album "Leftoverture".
 In 1977, the song peaked at No. 11 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming their first top 20 entry in the nation.
 The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 18, 1990, and has also sold over 2 million downloads in the digital era.
The discography of Kansas, an American rock band, consists of fifteen studio albums, six live albums, seven compilation albums, and twenty five singles.
 Formed by members Kerry Livgren, Robby Steinhardt, Dave Hope, Phil Ehart, Steve Walsh, and Rich Williams, the group signed a recording contract with Kirshner Records in 1973.
 The same year they released their self-titled debut album.
Somewhere to Elsewhere is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 2000.
 It was the band's last studio album until the announcement of their 2016 album, The Prelude Implicit.
 This album marks the reunion of the band's original 1970s lineup since 1980's Audio-Visions, along with Billy Greer, who joined Kansas with "Power".
 Kerry Livgren composed all of the album's tracks, and he sings (which he does not normally do) on the hidden track "Geodesic Dome".
"Hold On" is a single by the progressive rock band Kansas.
 It was the band's 13th single, eighth top 100 hit, and fifth top 40 hit, peaking at number 40.
 The song was first released on the 1980 album "Audio-Visions", which was the last album recorded with the original band before Steve Walsh left.
 The song was written by Kerry Livgren to try to convince his wife to convert to Christianity along with him.
 It was further re-released on several compilation and live albums, including "The Best of Kansas", "The Kansas Boxed Set", "The Ultimate Kansas", "", "Live at the Whisky", and the CD/DVD combos of "Device, Voice, Drum", "Works in Progress", and "There's Know Place Like Home".
 An orchestral version of the song appears on the album "Always Never the Same", recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.