Topeka, Kansas

Everything Topeka is known for

8 songs mention this city 30 artists from here

Topeka, Kansas, the state capital, boasts a notable musical heritage with 30 artists calling it home and 6 songs mentioning the city. Among its well-known musical exports is the rock band Kansas, formed in Topeka in 1973, which gained popularity in the 1970s with hits like "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". Another artist from Topeka is Kerry Livgren, a founding member and primary songwriter for Kansas. The city's musical connections also extend to songs like "Topeka" by Ludo and "One's on the Way" by Loretta Lynn.

Music in Topeka

Songs About Topeka

One's on the Way
Loretta Lynn
85%
"But here in Topeka, the rain is a-fallin'"
Topeka
Ludo
85%
"Song about Topeka, KS"
Through Topeka
Lazy Wayne Band
81%
"Through Topeka"
One’s on the Way
Loretta Lynn
55%
"But here in Topeka, the rain is a-falling"
Sweet Amarillo
Old Crow Medicine Show
49%
"When I got to Topeka I looked up your name"
Wichita Ain’t so Far Away
The Delines
25%
"And Topeca and to me"
Tacoma
Caitlyn Smith
5%
"Might leave some tears in Topeka"
Homeskool vs. Ace Amin
iBattleTV
5%
"I’m talkin’ Brown v. The Board of Education!"

Artists From Topeka

K
Kansas
rock Pop: 66
O
Origin
metal Pop: 55
T
The Billions
indie Pop: 41
D
Diskreet
electronic Pop: 36
K
Kerry Livgren
rock Pop: 34
U
Unmerciful
metal Pop: 34
K
Katrina Leskanich
rock Pop: 31
A
Alan Clark
rock Pop: 28
A
Andy McKee
folk Pop: 28
J
Jamshied Sharifi
electronic Pop: 27
G
Gatemouth Moore
blues Pop: 21
G
George Wettling
jazz Pop: 16
T
The Morning Dew
rock Pop: 14
T
The Primetime Heroes
rock Pop: 14
E
Eric Bikales
electronic Pop: 13
K
Kliph Scurlock
indie Pop: 13
B
Brown Bannister
gospel Pop: 11
J
Jeremy Turner
metal Pop: 9
P
Proto Kaw
rock Pop: 1
R
Reedukay
r-n-b Pop: 1

Showing top 20 of 30 artists

Rivers & Roads in Song near Topeka

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Topeka.

U.S. Route 59 7 songs Interstate 35 42 songs

History of Topeka

Tornado myths that won't die RoadyGoat

1966

On June 8, 1966, folks in Topeka trusted an old legend that Burnett's Mound, the hill on the southwest edge of town, would split any tornado and spare the city. That evening an F5 roared straight over the mound and tore a 22-mile path through Topeka, killing 17 and injuring more than 500. Hills don't stop tornadoes. Neither do rivers or tall downtowns; storms have crossed all of them. Two more myths refuse to die. An overpass is not a shelter: wind speeds usually run higher up under the beams, and flying debris funnels right through. And opening your windows does nothing. Houses fail from wind and debris, not a pressure explosion, and you only waste seconds you don't have. The real plan never changes. Get low, get inside, put walls between you and the wind.

Capital on the Kaw RoadyGoat

Topeka is Kansas's capital, planted on the banks of the Kansas River — the 'Kaw' — where the tallgrass prairie rolls up to the edge of town. Its limestone Statehouse, decades in the building, is one of the few capitols whose copper dome you can climb on a guided tour, up a tight interior stair to an outdoor balcony with the whole prairie city spread below. The building is also a gallery: muralist John Steuart Curry covered its walls with thundering scenes of Kansas weather and frontier life — prairie fires, tornadoes, pioneers pushing west. A short drive away, the Mulvane Art Museum, opened in 1924, ranks among the oldest art museums west of the Mississippi, and Gage Park spins a beautifully hand-carved carousel dating to 1908. Railroad town, prairie capital, and quietly arty — Topeka rewards a slow look.

School tornado drills RoadyGoat

1950

Out here in storm country, the tornado drill is a rite of passage. The bell rings, and a whole school files into the interior hallways, drops to a crouch, heads down, hands laced over the back of the neck. Maybe a textbook held overhead. There's real physics behind that pose. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center say flying debris is the single biggest tornado hazard, so the whole idea is to put as many walls as possible between you and the wind. You want the lowest floor, the center of the building, and absolutely no windows. A hallway lined with glass is the wrong place. In a tornado, those panes shatter and the corridor turns into a wind tunnel full of flying shards. So you crouch low, cover up, and let the interior walls take the hits. Generations of kids have learned that drill by heart.

Everything Near Topeka

10 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Topeka on the Map
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