TONY KINMAN,
1956-2018

Tony Kinman, founder and guitarist in The Dils and Rank and File, two bands that had a heavy influence on West Coast punk and alternative country when it was called cowpunk, died Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 62.

Porterhouse Records owner Steven B. Kravac issued a statement confirming Kinman’s death, saying, “Tony Kinman wore a multitude of musical hats and gave us many opportunities to celebrate song with him. May his soul be at peace knowing how many people he touched with his pure and natural gift of music.”

With his brother Chip, the two formed The Dils in their hometown of Carlsbad, Calif., moving to San Francisco and then Los Angeles where their melodic punk rock and political songs created a beachhead in a blossoming underground scene.

The brothers broke up the band in 1980, re-emerging in Austin as Rank and File with guitarist Alejandro Escovedo and drummer Slim Evans. They signed with Slash Records and released Sundown, the first of their three albums, in 1982, a landmark hybrid of Johnny Cash/Lefty Frizell/rockabilly-inspired country, lush harmonies and the tautness of rock ‘n’ roll. The debut album included one of their best-known tunes, the Kinman-penned "Amanda Ruth."

Post Rank and File, the brothers reinvented themselves with Blackbird, a post-punk drum machine-driven band that embraced Brit Pop. Another incarnation, Cowboy Nation, which boasted a folk-based sound heavy on Tony's baritone, followed.

He recently produced the debut LP of his brother Chip's band Ford Madox Ford, This American Blues, which was released in February.