Tony Kinman is an American musician best known for his work as co-founder of Rank and File, the influential country-punk outfit he formed with brother Chip Kinman in 1981. Following his earlier tenure with California punk pioneers The Dils, Kinman helped pioneer the cowpunk subgenre—a raw, DIY-driven fusion of punk energy and country-western aesthetics that challenged genre conventions throughout the 1980s.
Across three studio albums, Rank and File established themselves as key architects of the cowpunk sound, blending punk's unpolished intensity with country's lyrical storytelling and instrumentation. The band's innovative approach to genre-blending left a lasting impact on alternative country and roots-influenced punk movements. Though Rank and File disbanded in 1987, Kinman's contributions to the convergence of punk and country music remain influential in the broader landscape of genre-defying rock and alternative music.
