The name Chicago Farmer was originally for a band, but the utilitarian life of driving alone from bar to bar, city to city - to make a direct connection to his audience and listener, took a deeper hold. He listened to punk rock and grunge as a kid before discovering a friendвЂ™s dad playing Hank Williams, and it was a revelation. I donвЂ™t like anyone to be left out my music is for everyone in big and very small towns.вЂќ He also wrote many of the bands hits including the signature. вЂњMy generation may have been labeled as slackers, but I donвЂ™t know anyone who doesnвЂ™t work hard - many people I know put in 50-60 hours a week and 12 hour days. Trombone player James Pankow is a founding member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Chicago. Whether in Chicago or Delavan, everyone has a story, and everyone puts in a long day and works hard the same way,вЂќ he says. He writes music for вЂњthe kind of people that come to my shows. Growing up in Delavan, Illinois, with a population less than 2,000, DiekhoffвЂ™s grandparents were farmers, and their values have always provided the baseline of his songs. вЂњI love the energy, music, and creativity of Chicago, but at the same time, the roots and hard work of my small town,вЂќ he shares. His small town roots, tilled with city streets mentality, are turning heads North and South of I-80. According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Profoundly inspired by fellow midwesterner John Prine, heвЂ™s a working-class folk musician to his core. The son of a small town farming community, Cody Diekhoff logged plenty of highway and stage time under the name Chicago Farmer before settling in the city in 2003.

Chicago band discography