Bill Kirchen

Bill Kirchen (born June 29, 1948) is an American rockabilly guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the guitarist with the original Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid 1970s, although, in reality, his time with the Commander accounts for only a portion of his career. Known as &The Titan of The Telecaster& for his big, twangy licks and diverse musical styles, he played the unmistakable lead on the 1972 Commander Cody hit &Hot Rod Lincoln.& In the years since, his body of work has been rich and varied, recording albums and making dozens of appearances on recordings by other artists. Kirchen grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he attended high school with Iggy Pop and Bob Seger. In recent years, Kirchen has toured or recorded with Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Doug Sahm, Emmylou Harris, Austin de Lone and others.
Kirchen's signature sound has been dubbed &Dieselbilly& as it incorporates elements of Country music, Blues, Rockabilly, Western Swing and Boogie-Woogie - laced with themes of American truck driving music that were explored years earlier by Red Sovine, Dave Dudley, Del Reeves, Red Simpson and others. These styles were later fully developed during his stint with Commander Cody and his writing collaborations with Blackie Farrell.
He plays a Fender Telecaster almost exclusively, and his main unit through the years has been a 1959 model with a Maple fretboard and Sunburst finish - practically all of which has been worn off by years of playing. Interestingly, this Telecaster came to him in 1967 by way of an even trade with a complete stranger he met on a bus, with Kirchen handing over his own Gibson SG in exchange.
For the better part of 20 years he lived in the Washington, D.C. area, where he formed the band Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun, featuring Dave Elliot on drums and John Previti on bass, later replaced by Jeff Sarli. However, the best-known and most prolific lineup of Too Much Fun featured the rhythm section of Johnny Castle (bass,vocals) and Jack O'Dell (drums,vocals). The band produced a string of critically acclaimed albums: Have Love, Will Travel, Hot Rod Lincoln - Live, Raise a Ruckus, Tied to the Wheel, and Dieselbilly Road Trip.
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Kirchen in Silver Spring, Maryland in 2005
Kirchen is a contemporary (and associate) of many D.C. guitarists such as the late Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan, Link Wray, Tom Principato, Evan Johns, Billy Hancock, Linwood Taylor, Dave Chappell, the Nighthawks and others who, during this time, forged an elite fraternity of Washington D.C.-area roots rock performers. In fact, it is more common than not for musicians to appear as special guests at Kirchen show's for extended jam sessions. These shows are often billed as &Twin Twang&, with two or more guests on stage trading riffs.
In 2005 he moved to the West Coast to take care of family, then to Manchaca, Texas. In early 2007 he returned to the D.C. area and currently resides in southern Maryland. His live show includes an extended version of &Hot Rod Lincoln,& in which he solos in the styles of many famous rock, blues, power pop, punk, and country guitarists, including Johnny Cash, Duane Eddy, Roy Orbison, Johnny Rivers, Marty Robbins, Buck Owens, Merle Travis, Merle Haggard, Bob Wills, Bo Diddley, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Link Wray, Vince Gill, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Ventures, Jerry Reed, Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Monkees, Cream, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and even, as he says, &The Kings& -- Elvis, B.B. King, Albert King, Billie Jean King (a tongue in cheek Pong style imitation of tennis), King Kong (a comical visual), Don King (another visual), and others.
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Kirchen at the Alden Theater, McLean Virginia 2004
Kirchen released his first album in a number of years on January 30, 2007, Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods, on Proper American Records. The disc is a mix of Kirchen's musical styles. Nick Lowe appears prominently on the album, along with other guests, such as Chris Gaffney and Dave Gonzalez.
Besides being a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Kirchen is also known for his whistling skills and trombone playing.