Bill Kirchen’s career has spanned 50+ years, produced well over two dozen albums, and expertly explored almost that many genres. He was a founding father of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, a proto-Americana band active from 1967-76. His diesel-fueled lick drove the rockabilly hit “Hot Rod Lincoln” into the Top 10. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2001 for Country Instrumental of the Year with his chicken-pickin’ composition “Poultry In Motion.”
In addition to being “a versatile guitarist […] a witty, astute songwriter, and a strong vocalist to boot,” Kirchen is “one of the best genre-agnostic, genre-crossing artists of our time, among the first to mash-up rockabilly, country, Western swing, honky-tonk, jump blues, jazz, boogie-woogie, and ‘psychedelic folk-rock.’ — Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine
Kirchen will appear at the Spring 2026 Strawberry Music Festival with Rick Richards on drums (Joe Walsh, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gurf Morlix) Jack Saunders on bass (Shake Russell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Sisters Morales, Tom Russell) and Nina Gerber on guitar (Kate Wolf, Greg Brown, Karla Bonoff, Dave Alvin, Laurie Lewis).
Don’t miss Bill Kirchen Band with Nina Gerber on the Main Stage on Sunday, May 24th! Listen and learn more here.
