Skateboarder, ambassador, and fiddle player are three impressive words you could use to describe Kyle Dillingham. What is even more jaw dropping is watching Dillingham take on all three at the same time. Whether it’s on the Grand Ol’ Opry stage or while singing and fiddling “Take Me Back to Tulsa” skateboarding out in front of Cain’s ballroom, the venue that housed Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys during their glory years, Kyle is a one of a kind entertainer. As “Oklahoma’s Musical Ambassador” Kyle has performed in 42 countries in front of a King, a Princesses, and other Government leaders across the globe. His latest album Homa songs which feature songs like “Orphan Train” that show off Kyle’s fiddling acrobatics and bluesy meets toe tapping song called “Freedom Bells”. Listen to these songs and other artists you should know on our Spotify Playlist. Here’s our interview with Kyle Dillingham.

Where did you grow up and where do you call home now?

I was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. As a 5th generation Oklahoman, I was always very proud and excited to spend time on the family farm with my grandparents. It was my great-great grandfather who staked the claim to the family farm in the 1893 landrun of the Cherokee Strip. I moved to Oklahoma City when I graduated high school to pursue my degree in instrumental music performance at Oklahoma City University – a by default move to OKC at the time, but still the place I call home today!

How have the life experiences of where you lived affected your songwriting or the songs you choose to record?

My experiences in life have all shaped my songwriting, but probably nothing like the experience of being from this place called Oklahoma. My latest album, Homa, communicates very clearly the feelings I have for my home state. Especially the title track and another song called, “Imagine That,” which confronts head on the complicated history of our state. “So many people forced upon this land, while others came been promised hope for that same land. So many different stories with only one place to call home. Imagine that.” Most of my career I have used my music to represent Oklahoma and the USA in other countries. So I have a great pride for this place I call home.

What artists/songwriters have impacted or influenced your work the most?

Growing up spending summers on the farm with my grandpa meant that my grandpa’s music was becoming my music. The music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys was making its way into my heart and soul. It was only a matter of time before I would find a fiddle and make the connection between the instrument and the music I loved. Shortly after, I would also discover the music of Bill Monroe…and I could not get enough.

When you perform, what do you hope is your audience’s biggest takeaway?

I approach every performance with the belief that music changes lives. It has the power to inspire, encourage and heal. I hope that my audience will be inspired, encouraged or even find the healing they need through my music and performance.

Tell me a little bit about your latest project?

Homa is an album of music that is either about the place I call home or the woman I call home – my beautiful wife, Ginnette. As Oklahoma’s Musical Ambassador, I have proudly represented my state in over 40 countries. But there is no place on earth like the Great State of Oklahoma! The name Oklahoma comes from two Choctaw words “okla” meaning a people; a tribe; a nation. And “humma,” which when applied to people, is an honorific meaning courageous; brave; honorable; elite; set apart. So Oklahoma means honorable nation; a brave people; a courageous nation. Be brave and set apart; let “Homa” be your anthem.

What was different or unique about your approach to this last project as compared to previous ones?

I am generally a very eclectic artist and let a project go in every direction possible. This time I really wanted the album to have a truly Americana/Country feel from beginning to end. I wanted every song to feel like it belonged in the mix. It was also the first time I departed from an all acoustic approach with my music and employed the electric bass and lead guitar on the album for a fuller and more produced sound.

Was there ever a time you felt like you wanted to quit making music?

I think that in a musicians journey, there is always the moments where you feel like there could be an easier and more consistent way to make a living. I think that especially with children in the picture there are times when I have felt that I could offer more security for my family. The times when I have come the closest to giving it all up where the times when somebody would come up to me after a performance and say, “I don’t know you, but one thing I know for sure is that you are doing exactly what God created you to do, and I encourage you to keep going.” I have literally had these exact words spoken to me, and somehow it is precisely the encouragement I’ve needed to push through and continue pursuing this incredible calling on my life.

Life is better on that orphan train
Ain’t nobody left to forget your name
Surrounded by the ones who feel the same
On that orphan train

Kyle Dillingham, from the song “Orphan Train”

What is your funniest or favorite “on the road” story when touring?

Especially when speaking with young musicians, I like to emphasize the point that we never know when or how our music might touch somebody. One night after a late show and load out, my band and I went for a late 2am breakfast at a Waffle House. As usual, I came walking in carrying my violin at my side. The waitress asked what I had with me. I replied, “It’s a violin.” She jokingly responded, “Are you gonna play me a tune?” I told her I would after I had my breakfast. About an hour later, I quietly unpacked my violin and approached the waitress standing between the waffle machines and the counter and started to play. She froze as did the entire restaurant. I played my heart out and sang a French love song. When I finished she was stunned and nearly in tears. Everyone was clapping and cheering, waffles were burning and everyone was smiling. Then I noticed the officer on duty who also had a tear forming. I learned that his wife had been in a coma for 6 weeks and had woken up earlier that day. This moment touched him very deeply in a comforting way. So all of this to say again, we never know when or where our music might touch someone, so we have to always be prepared and ready to share our music wherever we go.

Who or what keeps you grounded the most?

The thing that keeps me grounded the most is my faith. Everything we have has been given to us by our Creator. If we let our music be worship, then we become instruments of God whose Spirit can reach and touch the hearts and souls of people. There can be an enormous sense of obligation put on the shoulders of a musician to “move” an audience. There is also so much pressure to “play perfectly.” As mere mortals, we are not capable of either and can easily be set up for failure and self-disappointment. Through submission to God, we become freed; and there is a great peace in this kind of freedom when making music. To sum it up, God accepts us as we are — with all our faults and shortcomings. All we have to do is to do our best, and God will receive it and bless it. This kind of perspective in performance can free us of the anxiety we might feel. The truth is that none of us can ever be enough. But we don’t need to be. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 12:9. But [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” should be the security we cling to. If we can shift our minds from “performance” to “worship” then our audience will always be the very same no matter where we go. We are always standing before our Creator.

What advice would you give artists just starting out?

Be patient. Don’t let yourself become discouraged if you don’t feel as though you have progressed after a week of practice. Be diligent in spending time with the instrument, developing a relationship with it. Look back over your progress every year to see how you’ve done. If you can learn to play by ear before learning to read music. I think it is better to develop the ear first. Learn to “follow along” and mimic with the instrument as a child would when learning speech. After all, this is just another form of communication. Reading and writing and the study of great literature can come later. Share your music with as many people as possible. I used to even go knock on my neighbors’ door and play for them when they answered. One must practice what he is wanting to do – If you want to become a performer then one must practice performing. If going door to door in your neighborhood seems a stretch, maybe try contacting a local nursing home. You could go room to room there and never run out of opportunity to practice performing for some people who would be overjoyed by your visit and your music. This also brings purpose to our music. If our music is just about us, then we don’t ever need to leave our house. My hope and prayer is always that God will use me and my music to somehow change somebody’s life for the better – to Inspire, Encourage and Heal.