William Knight Kirchen (born June 29, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American rock band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 ...
from 1967 to the mid-1970s and later worked with
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes Paul had built a prototype solid body ...
" for his prowess on the guitar.
Early life
Kirchen was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut but grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he attended Ann Arbor High School and learned to play the trombone.Pendragon, Jan Biography AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2012 He met a folksinger named David Siglin, long-time manager of local folk music venue The Ark, and joined the local folk scene. While learning to play banjo and guitar, his musical interest began to extend beyond folk music and included the blues and various string bands. During his student days at
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, Kirchen started a "psycho folk-rock" band and later a country band that included
George Frayne
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American rock band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 ...
and
John Tichy
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American rock band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 ...
which formed the basis for the
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American rock band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944 in Boise, Idaho, died September 26, 2021 ...
band.
Career
In 1969, Kirchen took Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen to California and they developed a reputation as musical "outlaws" that were praised by other outlaw musicians and bands like
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
,
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music.
Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
,
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...
and the
Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to:
Music
*The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman
*The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman
*The Gregg Allman Band
People
*Allman (surnam ...
. Kirchen's band "played a collection of rock 'n' roll, hard-core country, boogie and rockabilly sounds produced in a "high-octane mix" that made them a "happening" group in the San Francisco Bay area.Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun Crosstown Arts. Retrieved June 13, 2012
Kirchen began to develop as guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and performer. He became known for his vocal and guitar work on such songs as "Mama Hated Diesels", "Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues" from the band's albums, ''Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers' Favorites'' and ''Lost in the Ozone''. His live performance work was captured on the 1973 album ''Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas'', recorded at the
Armadillo World Headquarters
Armadillo World Headquarters (The 'Dillo or Armadillo WHQ) was an influential Texas music hall and beer garden in Austin at 525 Barton Springs Road – at South First Street – just south of the Colorado River and downtown Austin. The 'Dillo fl ...
in 1973. Kirchen's Commander Cody band broke apart in 1976 and he formed a "swing orchestra" called the Moonlighters and began a decades-long collaboration with British musician
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Elvis Costello,
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...
, and Link Wray.
Around 1986, Kirchen moved to the Washington, D.C. area and formed the band Too Much Fun with Dave Elliot on drums and John Previti on bass. In 1996, the band won ten Washington Area Music Awards including Musician and Songwriter of the Year. Kirchen became a contemporary and associate of many D.C. guitarists such as the late
Danny Gatton
Daniel Wood Gatton Jr. (September 4, 1945 – October 4, 1994) was an American virtuoso guitarist who combined blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country to create a musical style he called "redneck jazz".
Career
Daniel Wood Gatton Jr. was born in ...
and
Roy Buchanan
Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and two lat ...
, Link Wray,
Tom Principato
Tom Principato (born 1952) is an American electric blues and blues rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter.
Principato has recorded more than twenty albums over the years. One of his most recent releases, ''Robert Johnson Told Me So'' (2013) ...
Jimmy Thackery
Jimmy Thackery (born May 19, 1953, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter.
Career
Thackery spent fourteen years as part of The Nighthawks, the Washington, D.C. based blues and roots rock e ...
, the Nighthawks and others who, during this time, forged an elite fraternity of Washington D.C. area roots rock performers.
Kirchen recorded the album ''Tombstone Every Mile'' on Demon Records, while in England and then released the recording in the USA after he signed with Black Top Records in 1994. He released the critically acclaimed and musically eclectic album, ''Have Love, Will Travel'' in 1996 and ''Raise a Ruckus'' on
Hightone Records
HighTone Records was an American independent record label based in Oakland, California, United States. HighTone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry ...
in 1999. Kirchen followed up with more album releases on Hightone Records including ''Tied to the Wheel'' in 2001, ''Dieselbilly Road Trip'' in 2003, and ''King of Dieselbilly'' (2005).
In 2006, Bill kicked off his new deal with
Proper Records
Proper Records is an English record label founded by Proper Music Group Chairman - Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley. Commencing with a handful of releases, including the Balham Alligators and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the label grew in ...
by recording "Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods" at their London studio. The band on the album was Nick Lowe,
Geraint Watkins
Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins (born 5 February 1951) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, rock and roll pianist and accordionist. He has backed many notable artists, including Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Ro ...
and Robert Trehern and it was engineered by Paul Riley.
This was followed in 2010 by another album – "Word to the Wise", once again recorded at Proper's studio in London by Paul Riley, with a band comprising Austin de Lone, Jonny Castle and Jack O'Dell. The record featured many guests including: Paul Carrack, Elvis Costello, Commander Cody, Blackie Farrell, Dan Hicks, Nick Lowe, Maria Muldaur and more.
In November 2012, Kirchen was a guest performer on Larry Monroe's Texas Radio Live show on KDRP.
2013 saw the third Proper Records album released – also recorded in London by Paul Riley. The band on "Seeds And Stems" was Jack O'Dell and Maurice Cridlin with guest appearances from Austin de Lone and
Jorma Kaukonen
Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (; ; born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist. Kaukonen performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly on tour with Hot Tuna, which started as a side project with bass ...
among others.
Legacy
Allmusic's Jana Pendragon credits Kirchen with being one of the musicians that pioneered the
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
movement in the 1980s, and also with being a founding father of "twangcore," along with
Dave Alvin
David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s a ...
,
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently d ...
and Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys. Kirchen's signature sound has been dubbed "dieselbilly" and incorporates elements of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
,
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which attracted huge crowds to dance ...
and
boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pi ...
, laced with themes of American truck driving music. Kirchen's work in the early 1970s with Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen helped set the stage for the singers like
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music.
Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
and
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
and other outlaw country bands with his recordings of songs like "Seeds And Stems." Kirchen is said to have "one of the most distinctive, pure-Fender Telecaster tone guitar sounds in modern music".
Kirchen was named "The Titan of The Telecaster" by ''
Guitar Player
''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...
'' magazine for his musical prowess on the
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...
guitar. He played a 1959 model with a maple fretboard and sunburst finish that he calls the "coal burner" and acquired in 1967 when he exchanged his
Gibson SG
The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961 as the Gibson Les Paul SG. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. The SG (where "SG" refers to Solid-Body Guitar) Standard is Gi ...
with a stranger on a bus. He retired that guitar in the early 2010s in favor of a Telecaster with a wider neck.
Personal life
Kirchen is a father and has been married for more than 25 years. In 2005 he moved to the West Coast and then to Manchaca, Texas. In early 2007, he returned to Maryland, then subsequently moved to Austin, Texas in 2011.
Discography
*''Tombstone Every Mile'' (1994)
*''Have Love, Will Travel'' (1996)
*''Hot Rod Lincoln Live!'' (1997)
*''Raise a Ruckus'' (1999)
*''Tied to the Wheel'' (2001)
*''Dieselbilly Road Trip'' (2003)
*''King of Dieselbilly'' (2005)
*'' Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods'' (2006)
*''Word to the Wise'' (2010)
*''Bill Kirchen's Honky Tonk Holiday'' (2012)
*''Seeds and Stems'' (2013)
*''Tombstone Every Mile (Reissue)'' (2019)
*''The Proper Years'' (2020)
*''Waxworks: The Best of the Proper Years'' (2020)
Awards
Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies): Best Country/Roots Rock Male Vocalist, 1991; Best Country Male Vocalist, 1993–96; Best Country Male Instrumentalist, 1994–96; Best Country Recording, Best Roots Rock/Traditional Recording, and Best Debut Recording for ''Tombstone Every Mile'', 1994; Best Roots Rock/Traditional R&B Male Vocalist, 1994, 1996, 1997; Musician of the Year, 1994, 1996; Best Country Recording, Best Roots Rock/Traditional R&B Recording, and Best Record Design for ''Have Love, Will Travel'', 1996; Songwriter of the Year, 1996; Best Roots Rock/Traditional R&B Instrumentalist, 1997; inducted into the Washington Area Music Hall of Fame, 2001.