Bill Kirchen was a dominating force behind the success of
the Airmen.
Meeting up with George Frayne, later known as Commander Cody, in his hometown of Ann Arbor, MI, set the wheels of
Kirchen's musical career into motion.
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, the future guitar god first learned to play the trombone. While in high school he meet folksinger David Siglin and proceeded to place himself in the middle of the local
folk scene. This was a training ground for
Kirchen's prospective endeavors. He learned to play banjo and guitar. His fascination with
folk eventually segued into an interest in the
blues and
string bands. While still in college,
Kirchen started his own band, an outfit best described as "psycho
folk-rock." It was around this same time that Detroit-based Frayne and future airman John Tichy decided to put a
country band together. Having gone to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Kirchen, Frayne, and some of the other
Airmen knew each other, thus
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen were born.
By 1969
Kirchen knew something had to be done or the band would idle away in obscurity. Aware of the music coming out of San Francisco, he convinced the rest of the band to move to the West Coast, where they took off and became legendary outlaws, lauded by
Waylon Jennings and
Willie Nelson as well as
the Allman Brothers and
the Grateful Dead.
Kirchen's power as a vocalist, player, performer, and songwriter began to solidify. Known for his vocal treatment and hot guitar licks on "Mama Hated Diesels" and the ever popular "Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues" from two of their preeminent releases,
Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers' Favorites and
Lost in the Ozone, respectively. As a performer
Kirchen came into his own while on stage in Austin for the live recording of the critically acclaimed
Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas, recorded in November of 1973 at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
Kirchen's work during this phase in the all-too-short career of
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen is still remembered with awe.
The 1976 breakup of the band lead
Kirchen to form the Moonlighters, a
swing orchestra. British star
Nick Lowe, who'd become interested in
Kirchen's work while he was still with
the Airmen, sought him out. The two formed a bond that remained intact years later. As the producer of the first Moonlighters album,
Lowe found a soul mate in the talented American.
Kirchen toured internationally with his friend and even joined him in the studio. While in England,
Kirchen's style was a hot property as is evidenced by his participation on recording projects for
Elvis Costello,
rockabilly king
Gene Vincent, and
Link Wray.
By 1986
Kirchen had moved to the Washington, D.C., area, establishing himself as a leader on the music scene. Prior to his signing on with Black Top Records in 1994,
Kirchen recorded
Tombstone Every Mile. This high-powered project was initially released on
Costello's label, Demon Records, in England. Available in the States on Black Top, this was just the beginning of
Kirchen's personal recording renaissance.
1996 was the year
Kirchen saw the release of Have Love, Will Travel. Critically acclaimed, it is an eclectic disc that displays the various aspects of
Kirchen's artistry and talent. Praised as one of the pioneers who marked territory for a new radio format,
Americana, this still-wild guitar slinger is also noted as a forefather of the twangcore movement that encompasses everyone from the king of California,
Dave Alvin, to
rockabilly bands and
roots rock outfits like
Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys and
Wilco. It is also believed that fellow madman
Junior Brown was given a career boost thanks to
Kirchen's dominating spirit, which has served to stand as a point of light for rebels of every stripe and color over these many years. In 1999, Kirchen followed with
Raise a Ruckus on Hightone Records.
A proud father married for over 25 years to the same woman,
Kirchen has been instrumental in keeping the work of many musical pioneers as more than just memory. Using his 1950s Telecaster and his chameleon-like voice, he has told the tale of Bakersfield's top bard,
Red Simpson, and maverick songwriter Blackie Farrell.
Ernest Tubb's former man of pedal steel, Buddy Charleton, whose infallible twang and moan can be heard throughout Have Love, Will Travel, is a featured player in
Kirchen's world. Always ahead of his time,
Kirchen remains a man of distinction who looks at music not as something to be categorized, but as an art form that has no boundaries. Continuing to work with Hightone Records,
Kirchen released
Tied to the Wheel in 2001, followed by King of Dieselbilly in 2005 and Hammer of the Honkey-Tonk Gods in 2006. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide
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