Rank & File Co-Founder Tony Kinman Dies

Country punk pioneer Tony Kinman, co-founder of the Dils and Rank & File, died May 4 following a battle with cancer. He was 63. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php – Tony Kinman

Kinman’s brother, Chip Kinman, confirmed the musician passed away in a post to Facebook.

The brothers founded the San Diego punk band the Dils in the late ‘70s. The band performed the song “You’re Not Blank” on Cheech & Chong’s 1978 stoner flick “Up In Smoke.” The Dils became known for the song about class struggle, which includes cuts such as “I Hate The Rich” and “Sound Of The Rain.”

The pair moved to Austin, Texas, after breaking up the Dils in 1980, where they formed the country-influenced Rank & File. The group debuted in 1983 with Sundown and released two more records before the decade was up, 1984’s Long Gone Dead and 1987’s Rank And File. The Everly Brothers covered the Rank & File track “Amanda Ruth” on their album Born Yesterday.

The Kinmans disbanded Rank & File in 1987 and went on to form the electronic-influenced post punk act Blackbird and dedicated country group Cowboy Nation.

Although Tony Kinman has spent the past several years away from the spotlight, he recently produced his brothers latest Ford Madox Ford album, This American Blues.