Doc Killian is a factory worker, BMI songwriter, and recording artist. He have released 4 CDs. He‘s working currently on his Gospel CD.

Ch.L.: How was the last year for you? Where there any highlights?

DOC: Last year was great. A song fom my first album was adopted by WBLQ in Rhode Island ( DJ Phil Briggs) for airplay on their Country Stew program 3 days a week. Nine of my songs have made the charts in Europe. I have recieved numerous positive reviews of my songs (by yourself included). I received a thank you letter from the President for sending him MY FLAG, Remember Our Veterans, To Our Troops, and True American. I performed at the International Country Music Festival in Nashville and came in the top 20 of 220. I have done numerous appearances and gotten overwhelming positive feedback.

Ch.L.: What did you do before you got into the music business?

DOC: I worked in an Auto Factory(Michigan Truck Plant), as I still do. As a truly independent artist(no publisher, promoter, distributer etc), I cant afford to "quit my day job".

Ch.L.: Country Music has many new fans in Europe who may be learning about you for the first time. How would you describe the music you play to someone who's never seen or heard you before?

DOC: I have had others compare my music to Stonewall Jackson, Johnny Cash, Tom T Hall and others. I myself am just trying to keep Traditional Style music alive.

Ch.L.: What is your current CD and how is it doing?

DOC: My current CD is Boss And Work Are 4-Letter Words. This CD is far surpassing what I had hoped that it would do. At least 3 tracks from this CD are on the move. As long as my songs are getting airplay I feel that I have done something right. DJs have unlimited resources when it come to getting music, and if they are playing mine, I am truly honored.

Ch.L.: Do you write the songs yourself and if not, how do you go about finding songs for your albums?

DOC: I write my own songs with the exception of Boss And Work which I co-wrote with Bobby"Swampgrass"Anderson. Being a factory worker and a veteran I have a lot that I am able to write about. A majority of my songs are either Blue Collar or Patriotic.

Ch.L.: What is the different between your last and your current album?

DOC: The major difference is that the current CD is Half-Bluegrass, Half Country. I compose a lot of my songs with a banjo, but I have yet to really learn to play it. Bobby"Swampgrass"Anderson and Wlliam Davis helped me actually get through the last album. With 50+ and 35+ years experience with music, I can't give these fine musicians enough credit. I have made a commitment to all my fans that my music will only get better. I threw away a whole recording session because I didn't like it so I went and re-recorded so that it would turn out the way I am sure that my fans would have wanted it. And by the way, it is one of the songs that has done the best-End Of Line Time.

Ch.L.: What's your favorite song among all the songs you've recorded and what's the story behind it?

DOC: My Flag! I was sitting at the dining room table and I looked out into the front yard and saw My Flag blowing in the wind and I just started writing what I felt about it. I got the part about burning the Flag from remembering the 1970s news reports and also the recent news reports that showed the same thing. It disusted me to see that some don't know, or don't care about the sacrifices that our anscestors made, to give us the freedom that we enjoy today.

Ch.L.: How much creative control do you have over your music?

DOC: I usually know how I want a song to be sung, but it takes the musicians to make it happen. I have been fortunate to find the two that I have worked with. Bobby and Bill know more about the way I write because both have worked with me from the beginning.

Ch.L.: The internet is playing a bigger and bigger part in the world of music. Has the internet hurt or helped you and how would you like to see it evolve?

DOC: The internet is an amazing advantage. We are all globally linked, and as an example, I receive sometimes as many as 30 e-mails a day from overseas. Thats not counting the ones from the US. I have met people from all over the world through the internet. There are also avenues through cyber-space that were not available 1 year ago. With internet radio you can find virtually any kind of music you enjoy.

Ch.L.: Who do you look up to musically and where do your musical roots come from?

DOC: I have listened to all syles of music but I always wind up back at Traditional Style Country. For me that is the genre that is more real and true to life. I grew up with Johnny Cash, Hank Sr. and all the other great names of Traditional County. If I had to pick one artist it would be Johnny Cash.

Ch.L.: In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between "traditional" and "new" country music?

DOC: A lot of todays"Country" doesn't appeal to me because of the "Flash For Cash " syndrome. I need music with substance and meaning and I feel that a lot of that is getting lost in the investors attitude of pump it out for my profits. When I did the festival in Nashville, I was approached by the president of a label that said "I would love for that style to come back but the investors won't let it happen". There is a large following of Traditional Style Country and I hope that I can be a part of bringing it back to the forefront. With the huge success of the O Brother Where Art Thou, you would think that someone would be giving people what they want. I intend to. My fans are my fans because when I do the reseach I do it the old fashioned way, I ASK. I don't need pie-charts, graphs, and demographic surveys to tell me what PEOPLE will tell me if I ask.

Ch.L.: What drives you? What inspired you to become an artist?

DOC: My wife of 20 years talked me into putting in a bluegrass CD a few years ago. On that CD was the Stanley Brothers and Darling Nellie Grey. When I heard that song, I had to get a banjo to learn how to play. As I was teaching myself the banjo, I started finding music that I had not heard before. So I decided to start writing. Pretty soon the banjo went on the shelf and I was writing 2-3 songs a day. When I recorded the first CD-The Factory Worker, the response was so great that I kept up the momentum. The Lord has seemed to bless me with the ability to write what we feel, in a way that people have approached me and said "thats what its like" .

Ch.L.: What's unique about you that differentiates you from other artists?

DOC: I am a factory worker and I am telling a story of what life is really like inside a factory. Factory workers make up 65% of the United States workforce. A higher percentage if you count service type industries. No one is telling it quite the way I am and on the scale that I do. If you tried to name factory worker songs there aren't that many to chose from. But also, I do a lot of Patriotic songs. I spent 7 years as an Army Medic, and am proud of my Country. I am honored to be able to write songs that people enjoy.

Ch.L.: Who's your biggest critic, yourself or others?

DOC: Myself! I cannot expect someone else to like my music if I don't. A lot of my music is somewhat raw, but my fans enjoy the songs. One day I might be able to do my recordings the way they need to be done, but working full time and financing this myself, I have to work within a tight budget. I will keep the quality improving, because I have told my fans that I will. I also will maintain the Traditional Style Country Music.

Ch.L.: Is there anyplace you haven’t played that you would like to?

DOC: The Grand Old Opry at least one time. To be where the true legends have been, one time, would be the highlight of my career. That name is synonymous with COUNTRY.

Ch.L.: Many music fans today get their information about artists via the internet. Do you have your own website and what will fans find there?

DOC: My website is http://doc-killian.tripod.com   . My fans will find all 4 of my CDs for sale. I also try to put news flashes regularly on the front page. I have a links page covering radio stations, other artists, charts, publications etc.. The website is and always will be expanding as time goes on. If fans want to e-mail me its dockillian@yahoo.com

Ch.L.: What message would you like to send your European fans?

DOC: Thank You so much for all the support, e-mails, etc.. Europe has embraced my music from the beginning and for that I am honored for you to have listened to, and enjoyed my music.

Christian Lamitschka ( Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de )