Gnarly Guitarists: Bill Kirchen (part 2)

Bill Kirchen has played alongside Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Evan Johns, Billy Hancock, Tom Principato, Jorma Kaukonen, Redd Volkaert, and The Nighthawks.  He has appeared on albums by Gene Vincent, Link Wray, & Elvis Costello.  He's released solo albums for the UK’s Proper and Demon labels, as well as Black Top and Hightone in the US.  No small feat for a kid from Ann Arbor (where he was a classmate of IGGY POP!)  The photo at left is Bill riding high in Ann Arbor, back in 1962.

Bill was joined on his own Word To The Wise album by Costello, Lowe, Cody, Austin de Lone (from Eggs Over Easy), Paul Carrack, Maria Muldaur, and Dan Hicks (who cowrote and sang the title track as a duet with Kirchen).  Bill's wife Louise Kirchen also sings on Word To The Wise, and she has written songs for several of Bill's albums.  Bill has also written some great originals -- check out the double entendre "Talkin' About Chicken" (with Sarah Brown).

Bill was asked to join Nick Lowe’s backing group THE IMPOSSIBLE BIRDS alongside Geraint Watkins, and Watkins played on Kirchen's Hammer Of The Honky Tonk Gods album.

This is the second volume of Stinky's Best of Bill Kirchen, and it features Bill performing with Commander Cody, The Moonlighters, plus songs from his solo career.  Stinky promises, "If these go over well, I have a great solo live show that I’ll edit and turn into something Jon-Ky."

Send us a comment, and let's make this happen!

Gnarly Guitarists: Bill Kirchen

Guitar Player Magazine called BILL KIRCHEN “The Titan Of The Telecaster,” which is entirely accurate (sez Stinky).  Bill's first taste of fame came with the release of a cover of Charlie Ryan's "Hot Rod Lincoln" when Bill was a member of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen.  Kirchen played with Commander Cody from the mid-60’s to the mid-70’s, then started a swing band called The Moonlighters, which was the beginning of his long association with producer Nick Lowe.  

After The Moonlighters, Kirchen started another new band called TOO MUCH FUN, which played around the DC area for many years.  Their album Tombstone Every Mile was reissued in 2019.

Searching for a suitable name for his unique style of Americana/Roots music, Kitchen came up with “Dieselbilly Music” because he’d been playing trucker songs since the days of the Lost Planet Airmen.  He's also been called the King Of Truck Drivin' Twang.  

One of the high points of a Bill Kitchen show is his inventive reimagining of HOT ROD LINCOLN in which (as he races the titular car) he passes other guitarists traveling down the same road, and mimics their guitar styles exactly.  During the narrative, Bill passes Albert King, Freddie King, B.B. King, The Beatles, and many more. 

Volume 1 of The Best of Bill Kirchen ends with an epic live "Hot Rod Lincoln", and features other live and studio recordings from Kirchen's career.

Another Music in a Different Kirchen

Well, it's the same Bill Kirchen, but he's in somebody's living room. A tip of the ten gallon hat to MrDave (lover of music and film), who pointed us toward some great footage of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen performing "Everybody's Doin' It" (a Western Swing tune originally recorded by the Modern Mountaineers) in the 1976 film Hollywood Boulevard!  

It's a B-movie about making B-movies, produced by the B-movie master (Commander Roger Corman).  Hollywood Boulevard was the directorial debut of Allan Arkush and Joe Dante.  Three years later, Arkush directed Rock & Roll High School.

At the 1:23 mark of this here video, a young Bill Kirchen (sporting a pair of bright red slacks) favors us with a tasty Telecaster solo, while the merry Airmen keep buckin' and truckin' along!

Let's give a hand to the half dozen readers (that's more than you can count on one hand) who singlehandedly persuaded Stinky to share another Bill Kirchen gem. Stinky has lovingly fashioned a "Living Room Session" (hosted by Elderly Instruments) into a new Homemade Record!  

Bill sings songs and tells tales about Mississippi John Hurt, Minnesota Bob Dylan, Dan "Hot Licks" Hicks, Nick "Name" Lowe, and the honorably aforementioned Cmdr. Cody (ret.)  We may never get to see Machete Maidens of Mora Tau (the movie shot by the characters in Hollywood Boulevard), but if you listen to this set you will find out what happens when you take three Bennies and your semi truck won't start!

ZIP IT! Volume 1

Stinky and I often trade ideas for compilations.  A few don't fly, but others really take wing.  He recently started compiling songs with "Shut Up" as the title (or theme).  

As they say in the entertainment biz, I had notes.  We traded emails and text messages, and pretty soon we had enough songs for four volumes of this foolishness.  

Zip It! is the title of the series.  Shutting your mouth (or someone else's) is the theme.  And as Steve Earle once put it, you know the rest.

I suspect that Stinky was inspired by "Word To The Wise" from his recent Bill Kirchen compilations.  I think I suggested The Monks, "Hush", and "Our Lips Are Sealed".  

This first set includes a number of artists previously featured in this blog: Chuck Berry, Joan Jett, Dr. Feelgood, Fun Boy Three, Bill "Dieselbilly" Kirchen, and Pearl Harbour (the patron saint of Jonderblog).  Great news: Pearl is performing with a new band called Pearl Harbour Country!

Blog readers have reported dead links for the 2010 Comeback Special, Eva Cassidy, the Talk Box compilations, Stinky's tribute to Stiv Bators, and the RFTT/Ubu Waffle House At Walden Pond.  New links have been posted.

Enjoy our first Zip It collaboration!  There are several more to come.  If you have any song suggestions (or other dead links to report), don't keep your mouth shut -- share them in the comments!

Country Boy: Albert Lee

Koen writes: I had heard Albert Lee’s guitar licks before, probably first on Emmylou Harris’ Luxury Liner (1977) and Dave Edmunds’ Repeat When Necessary (1979), but I wasn’t aware of him as an artist in his own right. I vaguely recall a Nicky Hopkins LP called Super Rock (1975), which prominently featured Albert. It turned out to be a reissue of 1968’s No Introduction… and has been reissued under various titles ever since. His name popped up again on Jerry Lee Lewis' The Session (1973), which I still consider a classic album.

Over the years Albert never featured much in my music collection until 2019.  That year I was going back to the Netherlands and had asked an old friend to check if any interesting concerts were happening during my visit. He replied quickly with a “How about Albert Lee?” That made me do some digital digging on YouTube and various music blogs, resulting in me being utterly shocked, how could I have missed this fantastic guitar slinger all that time?!

On the 5th of October, I went to Amsterdam, met my friend Hendrik, and we moved to a place called the Q Factory. Everything looked quite new, and the concert area was not that big which suited us fine. After a beer or two, it was time and we went inside, standing only, none of that ‘remain seated please’ nonsense.

Albert & his band started playing (on time!), great sound, brief but fun interaction with the audience and they gave a hell of a show. Most of the songs were familiar classics and to hear these finally played live professionally was awesome!  The only worrying aspect was the fact that 98% of the audience was gray-haired, similar to Albert!  It does make one wonder how long concerts like these will continue…

Earlier this year Jonder, Stinky, and I were brainstorming about possible future Jokonky projects. My suggestion, an Albert Lee retrospective, was well received (as presently there aren’t any!) and you have the results here.

It was difficult to come up with a good selection for a single CD, as Albert has recorded so many great tracks, but I thought it would be fitting to start and end with his signature tune ‘Country Boy’ as well as several collaborations with the Crickets, Hogan’s Heroes, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, and others.

[Note from jonder: Albert Lee is touring the US in August and September (and the UK in October) to promote his new album, Lay It Down. He pays tribute to his influences with versions of songs by the Everly Brothers (The Price Of Love), Glen Campbell (Less Of Me), Jimmy Webb (Too Young To Die), the Flying Burrito Brothers (Wheels), and others.  Visit Albert Lee's official website for tour dates!]

ELSEWHERE ON JONDERBLOG: Stinky's compilations of Bill Kirchen, another Master Of The Telecaster!