Chicago Farmer

Cody Diekoff, has been on CAU a couple of times now, and I have seen him perform live several times. He is one of a kind. Inspired, incredibly hard working and dedicated to his craft. Enjoy his shows on Chicago Acoustic Underground, but to truly know him, you must see him live. I guarantee that you will have a great time. Oh yeah, buy his latest CD “Backenforth, IL” it is absolutely brilliant.  

Chicago Farmer sings “Get me South, Mama get me North, Get me out of Backenforth,” on the title track of Backenforth, IL, out January 22, 2013. It’s the centerpiece of his sixth collection of Guthrie-inspired populist songs, as well as autobiographical. 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. Profoundly inspired by fellow mid-westerner John Prine, he’s a working-class folk musician to his core. His small town roots, tilled with city streets mentality, are turning heads North and South of I-80.

Backenforth, IL is also about finding your place in life – that sweet spot where we all belong. “I love the energy, music, and creativity of Chicago, but at the same time, the roots and hard work of my small town,” he shares. Growing up in Delavan, IL with a population less than 2,000, Diekhoff’s grandparents were farmers, and their values have always provided the baseline of his songs.

He writes music for the “kind of people that come to my shows. Whether in Chicago or Delavan, everyone has a story, and everyone puts in a long day and works hard the same way,” he says. “My generation may have been labeled as slackers, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t work hard – many people I know put in 50-60 hours a week and 12 hour days. That’s what keeps me playing. I don’t like anyone to be left out; my music is for everyone in big and very small towns.”