Kap Bros receive award for years of musical service
Roby and Richie Kap accept their award at the 14th annual Mayors Awards in the Arts ceremony.
Roby and Richie Kap accept their award at the 14th annual Mayors Awards in the Arts ceremony.
Roby and Richie Kap accept their award at the 14th annual Mayors Awards in the Arts ceremony.
Roby and Richie Kap accept their award at the 14th annual Mayors Awards in the Arts ceremony.
West Ogden born and raised musical brothers, Roby and Richie Kap, received one of the highest honors in the humanities from Ogden City Mayor Mike Caldwell on Oct. 8.
After years of being a staple of local music in the community for well over 40 years, the two brothers were recognized for their contribution to the city in the music category at the 14th annual Mayor’s Awards in the Arts ceremony.
The brothers stood in the front of the large reception room of the newly renovated John M. Browning building on Grant Avenue with their arms around each other. Through tears, Roby and Richie Kap expressed their gratitude for Ogden’s Historic 25th St., and the people populating the county for their years of support of local music.
“It overwhelmed my brother and I, that means more to us than anything, to be recognized by our home town,” Roby Kap said, after receiving the award. “It just meant the world to us. We started out playing, just little boys from West Ogden.”
During the ceremony, a video slide show done by Bryan Smith of Only in Ogden projected old pictures of the Kaps throughout the years, and a narrator read their various accolades. One of the many activities the Kap brothers were revered for was their involvement in the Blues in Schools program with Brad Wheeler and Daniel Weldon.
“The Blues in Schools is a program where we go to schools, mostly elementary schools and give them free harmonicas and then have a little program where we teach them about where the music came from, and all music is tied in one way or another to the blues,” Roby Kap explained. He is still involved, to a degree, and volunteers his time to educate children with his harmonica.
The Kap brothers received their musical genes from their mother, who also inherited the Scottish tradition of playing music and played the xylophone throughout her life. The brothers are the 11th and 10th children of 13 Kaps total.
“We got our music from our mother’s side,” Roby Kap said. “We started playing, and we’ve never quit.”
One reason why the duo hasn’t quit is because there are venues and events that ask them to perform year after year — Snowbasin’s Blues, Brews & BBQ being one, as well as the Historic 25th St. Farmers and Arts Market.
“We still have places to play and still have places that want us. I have been busier this summer, this is one of the busiest summers I’ve ever had,” Roby Kapp added. “I do a lot of solo and two-piece stuff and at least half of my shows are solo, but to have places to play and people that want you, it means a lot to us too that we’re still able to do it. We’ve never quit playing.”
The Kap Brothers were also instrumental in filling Ogden’s streets with music during the old Street Festival, held annual for many years. The brothers were in charge of lining up acts for the main stage on Historic 25th St., and only booked locals, given many their first chance to play a big stage.
“I was in charge of getting the bands and I get young kids, just starting out, never been on a big stage before. I would give them their first shot,” Roby Kap said, mentioning Ryan Hawthorne and B.J. Parker as some of the “young musicians.”
The Kap brothers continue to make memories at the farmers market and the Tunes at Noon concert series, which Roby Kap played solo this year. The brothers, along with their band of revolving members, have also played benefits concerts and fundraisers to aid hurricane victims and cancer survivors among others.
Regardless of if the brothers are playing their weekly session at the Kokomo Club, or on the big stage at a music festival, their name continues to hold weight and recognition throughout the area. In the words of Smith, a self-declared Kap Brothers Band fan, “If there ever is a band that is Ogden’s band, it’s the Kap Brothers Band.”
Ogden arts leaders
Here’s the full list of honorees announced at Ogden’s 14th Annual Mayor’s Awards in the Arts.
Lifetime contribution to the arts: Phyllis Savage
Music: The Kap Brothers
Art advocacy: Kate Bruce
Hall of Fame in the arts: John & Telitha Lindquist
Theater: Alicia Washington
Visual arts: Sherry Ferrin
