Mike Kappus

Mike Kappus
Born (1950-05-24) May 24, 1950
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States
Genres Blues, rhythm and blues, rock, jazz
Occupation(s) Music manager, record producer, booking agent

Mike Kappus (born May 24, 1950)[1] is an American music manager and record producer.

Kappus was inducted in to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.[2] The Blues Foundation described Kappus as "the kind of manager and booking agent any musician would want" and "one of the most respected men in the business."[3]

Biography

Mike Kappus was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States.[1] He and some of his friends at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire promoted regional bands and, in 1970, Kappus became a licensed booking agent.[3] During this time Kappus promoted Ted Nugent at the State Theater in Eau Claire for $1,000.[4] In 1971, he joined an established agency based in Milwaukee. Within five years, Kappus procured various musical talent for various clubs and music festivals and universities. These included booking Asleep at the Wheel, Jimmy Cliff, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, plus jazz musicians including Grover Washington, Jr., Weather Report, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and George Benson, and rock acts such as the MC5, Styx and Ted Nugent.[3] In the early 1970s, Kappus also gained further experience by booking artists to appear at Summerfest in Milwaukee.[4]

In 1976, following relocation to San Francisco, California, Kappus started his own Rosebud Agency. Over the years Kappus helped launch careers for Los Lobos, Robert Cray, Ben Harper, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Hiatt, the Neville Brothers, and Trombone Shorty, whilst also reinvigorating careers for more mature artists such as Allen Toussaint, Captain Beefheart, Muddy Waters, the Staple Singers, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Albert Collins, and John Lee Hooker.[3] Kappus managed Thorogood's "50/50" tour in 1981,[5] on which the band toured 50 U.S. states in the space of 50 days.[6]

In his role as a music manager, Kappus has worked for Hooker, Cray, Hiatt, John P. Hammond, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Duke Robillard, Loudon Wainwright III, and represented JJ Cale for thirty years until the latter's death in 2013.[3]

Kappus' management of John Lee Hooker, which included executive producer duties on Hooker's later albums, including The Healer,[4][7] saw Hooker win a total of four Grammy Awards.[3] Kappus and Van Morrison co-produced Hooker's Don't Look Back (1997).[8] His executive producer credits appeared on albums by Pops Staples, JJ Cale, Robert Cray, Duke Robillard, Loudon Wainwright III, Trombone Shorty and John P. Hammond. Kappus also acted as associate producer on film documentaries on both Cale and Hooker. The former, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, was released in 2005 and included appearances by Kappus.[9] He has also facilitated recording deals for Mavis Staples (Have a Little Faith (2004)), Bettye LaVette (I've Got My Own Hell to Raise (2005)),[8] Charlie Watts[10] and Buddy Guy, including that which led to Guy's Damn Right, I've Got the Blues (1991).[3]

Kappus also initiated the HART (Handy Artists Relief Trust) Fund for the Blues Foundation in 2000.[1][8] The HART Fund has gone on to thrive and attract global supporters, and has provided funds to pay for medical and funeral expenses for needy blues musicians.[1][3]

In his 2002 book, Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American Twentieth Century, Charles Shaar Murray noted, "I want to thank Mike Kappus, John Lee's manager, for selecting me to be the author of this book.[11]

The Blues Foundation named Kappus 'Manager / Agent of the Year' four times.[3]

As head of the Rosebud Agency, Kappus incorporated environmental policies which saw the company offices fully converting to solar power in 2000.[3][12][13] The booking side of the Rosebud Agency closed in December 2013.[3]

Kappus was inducted in to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.[2]

Selected executive record production credits

Year Album title Artist
1990 I'm in the Mood John Lee Hooker with Bonnie Riatt
1991 Mr. Lucky John Lee Hooker
1992 Boom Boom John Lee Hooker
1992 Peace to the Neighborhood Pops Staples
1993 Shame + A Sin The Robert Cray Band
1994 Trouble No More John P. Hammond
1994 Temptation Duke Robillard
1995 Grown Man Loudon Wainwright III
1997 Don't Look Back John Lee Hooker
1997 Little Ship Loudon Wainwright III
1998 The Best of Friends John Lee Hooker
1998 Long You As I Have You John P. Hammond
2001 Live JJ Cale
2003 Face to Face John Lee Hooker
2004 To Tulsa and Back JJ Cale
2006 The Road to Escondido JJ Cale and Eric Clapton
2009 Roll On JJ Cale
2010 Backatown Trombone Shorty

[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Blues Foundation Announces 2014 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees". Americanbluesscene.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  2. 1 2 "Other Individuals | The Blues Foundation". Blues.org. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The Rosebud Agency". Rosebudus.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  4. 1 2 3 "Executive Interview : Mike Kappus : Rosebud Agency" (PDF). Pollstarpro.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  5. ↑ Arar, Yardena (October 20, 1981). "Thorogood will play 50 states in 50 days". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  6. ↑ 7th Inning interview on WGN Radio, June 27, 2007
  7. ↑ Ted Gioia. "Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music". Books.google.co.uk. p. 267. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  8. 1 2 3 "CelebrityAccess Industry Profiles". Celebrityaccess.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  9. ↑ "Mike Kappus". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  10. ↑ "Mike Kappus of Rosebud Music Interview". Datamusicata.com. 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  11. ↑ Murray, Charles Shaar (2002). Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American Twentieth Century. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. Acknowledgements. ISBN 978-0-312-27006-3.
  12. ↑ "Iconic Rosebud Agency To Close". Hypebot.com. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  13. ↑ "Why Solar? (Mike Kappus, Environmentalist)". Iptv.org. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  14. ↑ "Mike Kappus | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-12.

External links

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