What is this day? National Dieselbilly Day is June 29, a day to celebrate the birthday and timeless music of Bill Kirchen, a true master of the telecaster and the self-anointed King of Dieselbilly. Kirchen is a founding father of the Americana/roots movement, and, at the start of his career, was the co-founder and lead guitarist of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. He coined the term dieselbilly to honor the long tradition of old-school truck-driving songs, songs he plays with such gusto, skill, and soul that they make you wanna hit the road and haul ass to every roadside honky-tonk on every byway in the land, or maybe just to the Truck Stop at the End of the World (a dieselbilly classic he wrote with Commander Cody). These are songs Kirchen described as “from another era, when gears still jammed and no little black boxes told tales on the driver.
Why was this day created? To spread the joy of Bill Kirchen’s music to the world.
How should this day be celebrated?
- Take a road trip, crank up the love, and just listen.
- And don’t miss Hot Rod Lincoln, his signature classic – a pumped up joy ride through guitar-god history and described by Rolling Stone as “epic”. In fact, there’s a lot more to listen to than dieselbilly. You’ll find a trove of songs so powerful they’ll leave you passed out on the side of the road in a heap – everything from soulful originals to western swing to blood-and-guts country to Dylan covers that’ll make your heart explode – all wrapped up in a big ball of twang.
Here is a sample of Bill’s music: