Bio

Louise Kirchen has been involved in the music scene since the days of Beatlemania and the Summer of Love in San Francisco in the Sixties. At an early age, musicical influences were woven into her life, from her mother who loved singing old time songs like “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” but kept a classical station playing on the radio, to her lively church choir-leading grandmother, who enjoyed watching American Bandstand. Louise was a teen in the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll and R&B, thrilling to the latest Elvis records in her room and turning up her tiny blue transistor radio, hoping to hear Ricky Nelson sing “Lonesome Town.” 

Born and bred in Southern Maryland, she moved to California in 1963 and entered UC Berkeley, where Civil Rights and Vietnam war protests soon became the Free Speech Movement, and a tidal wave of cultural revolution with a major emphasis on creating your own music profoundly changed an entire generation. Like so many others, she was inspired to learn to play guitar and write songs. Louise went on to sing and play in local California bands in the ‘70s. Her song “Why Wyoming” was featured in the major motion picture Fool for Love starring Sam Shepard, co-written with Sam’s sister Sandy Rogers in the mid-80’s. 

Throughout the years, Louise has contributed material to many of her husband Bill Kirchen’s albums, including four original songs on his Grammy nominated Raise A Ruckus. Three of those songs are now featured on this new CD. Bill gives her credit for sparking a renewed interest in his own songwriting career at that time. When he was nominated for a Grammy, Louise was Bill’s booking agent, publicist and manager, garnering two consecutive Wammies, Washington (DC) Area Music Association awards in 2002-03 for Manager of the Year. She has been a featured harmony singer on many of his recordings, live performances, tours and livestream concerts. 

Since moving to Texas, Louise has won multiple awards for excellence in the art and craft of songwriting from the Austin Songwriters Group, including 1st place in the Blues category for “Trade Winds” and 2nd place in Jazz for “Just Friends, That's All”. Both songs are featured on her current release. More recently she gave a presentation on songwriting and her history as a woman in music at the Sugar Maple Festival in Madison WI. 

The Waiting Game has been a long time coming and represents a lifetime of participation and creativity in music. Louise is excited to finally be presenting her original songs on her debut CD, telling her own story in words and music.

Personal History

I spent 5 years at UC Berkeley in the 60’s and never graduated, but what an eye and ear opening musical education this wide-eyed freshman received, hearing the Chambers Brothers singing and playing on Telegraph Avenue; Mississippi Fred McDowell dedicating “Louise” to me on the steps of the Student Union, where I also heard Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee & Mance Lipscomb; Joan Baez singing We Shall Overcome during the campus sit-ins in Sproul Plaza by Ludvig’s Fountain where Mario Savio ignited the Free Speech Movement; crossing the Bay Bridge at night to hear thrilling concerts at the Fillmore, Winterland and Family Dog. We anxiously awaited the next Bob Dylan or Beatles album, as if they were keys to decoding a secret message that was unfolding every day. Somehow I had landed in the right place at the perfect time to witness an incredible musical phenomenon going on all around me, culminating with getting Lost in the Ozone with Commander Cody and meeting Bill Kirchen. I learned so many songs, old and new - honky tonk, Western swing, classic country, rock-n-roll, R&B, blues, boogie woogie tunes like Beat me Daddy Eight To the Bar, and great originals like Too Much Fun. They were the original Americana band. I'm so grateful to have been witness to the events on campus and the musical and social revolution happening in the San Francisco Bay Area back in the day. I was awed and inspired in so many ways. Another reason Berkeley is dear to my heart, our daughter Julia was born there in '85.

Flashbacks

‘‘72: The Honeysuckle Rose roars out of sight, carrying the Lost Planet Airmen and their brave Commander on a nationwide tour fuelled by the surprise runaway hit of "Hot Rod Lincoln". I wave goodbye in a cloud of dust and diesel fumes, and can’t help but wonder ... will I ever see Bill again, what happened to the endless party, and ... where did the music go? 

‘73: It doesn’t take long to discover the music is in me, and the ‘party’ is sitting up all night with our faithful dog LeRoy, a blank notebook, a ball point pen and a six pack of whatever made Milwaukee famous, writing lonesome songs. Seeds had been planted and stems of songs are beginning to float to the surface, like musical bubbles in my brain. I also have feelings rising up as a woman, in those days someone’s “old lady”, longing to have a voice of my own. I start scribbling lines and rhymes on paper to match the melodies playing in my head.

Luckily, even though I had a lot of time on my hands when the band was on tour in their heyday, I had some good friends and neighbors in Sonoma county, and others willing to go the distance to come visit me from time to time. My next door neighbor Martha Ture had one half wolf dog and another 3/4 wolf dog who were both gentle, amazing animals and best friends with our pup Leroy. I had a beautiful mostly white with silver mane and tail young Appaloosa gelding we called Smokey that we'd seen advertised on an index card at the Alameda flea market with saddle and bridle for $100. Bill asked, Want a horse? and I said Sure! Those were the good old days when snap decisions were the name of the game.  My good friend Cricket was great company when she would drive up from the Bay Area and hang out to help me enjoy all the critters and benefits of country living, like the skinny dippin' pond just down the hill. It was secluded but we still wore our swim suits. Another great friend was Randi Burrell, who had a little boy, sewed  and was a great gardener and wonderful all around person. Together we opened a handmade clothing store named Ramblin' Rosie's in one of several large wooden wine containers that had been converted into shops at Jack London Village in Glen Ellen. Also I was fortunate to have Lane Morgan move in close by, who was a wonderful artist at the time, making her own batik wall hangings.

I want to mention some very special musical friends I knew back in those days. When both Cody and Emmylou Harris were touring, Nicolette Larson, who was married to Emmylou's steel player Hank DeVito at the time, would drive up to visit and hang out, sing, harmonize and swap a few songs. She was into the music of Rodney Crowell, Jonathan Edwards, Louvin Brothers, Townes Van Zandt and more. I was writing a bunch and knew some classic country and old R&B from hanging out with Bill. We had fun and I started a Sonoma Songbird notebook with tunes she shared with me and some of my own I was writing. I still have that, and my memories of Nicolette, before she became a rising star. What a thrill to sing with her back then, so inspiring!  Norton Buffalo and his girlfriend Kristen were also good friends and hanging out with them I got to watch her working on her wonderful handmade garments, and witness his incredible talents and the amazing music he created with John McFee, before he joined the Doobie Brothers. I played music with good pal Diamond Jim Corbett, who also had some cool songs of his own, at my first gigs in small venues up in the Valley of the Moon. He would also take me out to hear other cool musicians playing in the area, like Norton and McFee. Such precious times!