The Rosebud Agency
650 Delancey Street
Suite 309
San Francisco, CA 94107

Phone: 415-386-3456
Email: info@rosebudus.com

For JJ Cale related info
jjcale.com

Rosebud Artists over the years

Mike Kappus credits

Rosebud website archive

Some of the organizations we support

The Rosebud Agency ceased booking activities as of January 2014 but we're still working on special projects.

Casey Van Beek     
Mike Kappus continues with his production related activities, acting now as co-executive producer (with Jim Pugh) for the new, debut album by Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove, Heaven Forever - to be released on April 24, 2020 via Little Village Foundation. Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove's individual band members' history includes stints with the likes of Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, JJ Cale, and the multi-platinum Tulsa group, The Tractors. Casey Van Beek's own resume reaches back to playing with Linda Ronstadt, alongside future Eagles Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Tulsa Groove band member and producer, Walt Richmond played keyboards on JJ Cale and Eric Clapton's The Road to Escondido album with Eric sufficiently impressed to include Walt on each of his albums and two tours since then. Walt wrote the album's title song, a clever concept of Heaven which ponders whether or not you really want to strive for spending the rest of eternity there. In addition to Walt and Casey, the Tulsa Groove features many of Tulsa's finest musicians doing a wonderful job of keeping the legendary Tulsa Sound alive for current and future generations. The best known representatives / architects of that Tulsa Sound were Leon Russell and JJ Cale, whose song, "Since You Said Goodbye" is covered on the album. John Wooley, author of FROM THE BLUE DEVILS TO RED DIRT: THE COLORS OF OKLAHOMA MUSIC calls Heaven Forever "a disc that distills and embodies everything that's good about the classic Tulsa Sound."
For more information, go to the Little Village Foundation and the Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove Facebook page .


Betty Reid Soskin     
Mike Kappus recently produced Betty Reid Soskin's new spoken word album - A Lifetime of Being Betty – released on August 17, 2019 via Little Village Foundation. You can order the album via most online outlets including on Amazon here. This is Betty's debut as a recording artist at the ripe young age of 97 and her story is amazing. Her own powerful story and her forthright storytelling spans the history of civil rights in America. Betty's experience draws from her Great Grandmother's time as a slave until she was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation (her Great Grandmother lived until Betty was 27), to the civil rights era, her 60's activism, her connection to the Black Panthers, Betty's own years of personal challenges and on up to Black Lives Matter and the ongoing crises and challenges we face to this day. Betty is the nation's oldest National Park Ranger and, when not engaged elsewhere, she speaks several times every week at the Rosie The Riveter WWII Homefront National Historical Park in Richmond, CA. Among many other honors, Betty was named by Glamour Magazine as one of their Women of the Year for 2018 and there are several documentaries currently in production celebrating Betty's inspiring life.

We're also still consulting on music related business for the estate of the late Captain Beefheart and the estate of the late JJ Cale.

Stay Around     
Mike Kappus represented JJ Cale for 30 years up until Cale's passing in 2013. Kappus continues to consult on music related business for the estate. In 2019, Kappus also acted as project coordinator for the new JJ Cale album of previously unreleased material entitled Stay Around, which was released via Because Music. The record has met with critical praise and some of the best sales chart positions ever for JJ Cale in countries all over the world. To celebrate the new album, Because Music also released vinyl pressings of four albums from JJ Cale's catalog for the first time: Closer To You, Guitar Man, Live, and To Tulsa And Back. Roll On was also re-pressed after a long period out of print. For more details see jjcale.com as well as new videos recorded by internationally known artists speaking out about JJ Cale's influence. The series, My JJ Cale, is presented by Because Music.

Sun Zoom Spark     
The Rosebud Agency also consults for the estate of Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) on music related matters. The Rosebud Agency began representing Captain Beefheart in the late 1970s and continued to act as his agency as he cycled through 4 different managers. Agency founder, Mike Kappus, maintained an ongoing friendship with Van Vliet as he phased out of touring (due to his diagnosis with MS) and focused on his graphic art as Don Van Vliet until he passed away in 2010. In addition to assorted work with Van Vliet's estate, Kappus was instrumental in coordinating the 2014 Rhino box set, Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972, a 4 CD box set on Captain Beefheart which included artwork created by Don Van Vliet and a poem from Beefheart admirer Tom Waits.

Mike Kappus was involved in John Lee Hooker's 100th birthday Celebrations in 2017-2018. Rosebud supplied memorabilia to the "John Lee Hooker: King of the Boogie" exhibit which was on display at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, OK after having been exhibited at the Grammy Museums in Los Angeles and Mississippi. Kappus also contributed supplementary liner notes to the Craft Recordings 100 song box set, John Lee Hooker – King of The Boogie. This, in addition to consulting with Bohemia Films in the UK on the John Lee Hooker documentary film John Lee Hooker – The Boogie Man, which debuted on the BBC on April 26, 2019.

We're also very busy sorting and documenting materials from our 40 year history (including 45,000 contracts alone) for archiving at the Southern Folklife Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Mike Kappus also currently acts on the Board of Directors for the Arhoolie Foundation in addition to ongoing work on various other projects.

    
Thanks to the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame Museum for hosting the exhibit on our work entitled "Mike Kappus and The Rosebud Agency: 45+ Years Sharing the Music" which was on display from May 10, 2017 through March 2018. Parts of the exhibit moved on to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles before moving on to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, OK, both as part of recent exhibits celebrating the centennial of John Lee Hooker's birth.

Thanks as always to all our collaborators since 1976, with special appreciation for our intentionally short list of Rosebud artists who, during their time with Rosebud, earned:

  • 116 Grammy nominations and 28 Grammy wins
  • 10 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions
  • 7 Grammy Lifetime Achievement or Trustee Awards
  • 21 Blues Hall of Fame inductions (plus a 2014 induction for Rosebud Founder, Mike Kappus) and an unprecedented 4 Blues Foundation awards for Manager / Agency of the year
    (see details)

A sincere THANK YOU to all the presenters, managers, agents, record labels, media, Rosebud staff and all those associated with The Rosebud Agency over the years.

And a very special thanks to the select group of artists we have represented including:


Johnny A. Luther Allison Mose Allison Antibalas Brian Auger The Bad Plus Marcia Ball BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet Elvin Bishop Rubén Blades The Blind Boys of Alabama Michael Bloomfield Blues Hall of Fame Tour Anthony Braxton Charles Brown Pieta Brown Ruth Brown T Bone Burnett JJ Cale Captain Beefheart Tommy Castro Jon Cleary Albert Collins Paolo Conte Ry Cooder Larry Coryell James Cotton Robert Cray Ron Crick ¡Cubanismo! Geno Delafose The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Willie Dixon Dr. John Ellis/Liebman Band Mimi Fariña Fiddlers 4 Ruthie Foster Bill Frisell Davíd Garza The Gospel at Colonus Great Guitars: Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd and Barney Kessel The Jan Hammer/Tony Williams Group John Hammond Ben Harper Eddie Harris Eddie Henderson John Hiatt John Lee Hooker Cornell Hurd & His Mondo Hotpants Orchestra Booker T. / Booker T. & The MG's Kaki King Femi Kuti Peter Lang Jim Lauderdale Bettye LaVette Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue Adrian Legg David Lindley Ivan Lins Latin Playboys Los Lobos Roy Loney & The Phantom Movers John Lurie John Mayall Lonnie Mack Pedrito Martinez Coco Montoya Charlie Musselwhite Meshell Ndegeocello Tracy Nelson The Neville Brothers Newport Jazz Millennium Celebration The Nighthawks NRBQ Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Duke Robillard Tabu Ley Rochereau Carrie Rodriguez Roy Rogers The Savoy Doucet Cajun Band Steve Seskin Ben Sidran Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars The Skip Castro Band Solas James Lee Stanley Staple Singers Mavis Staples Pops Staples The Stone Foxes Bill Summers Howard Tate Irma Thomas George Thorogood & The Destroyers Daby Touré Allen Toussaint Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Loudon Wainwright III Muddy Waters Charlie Watts Wavy Gravy The Weepies Tony Williams Zap Mama

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

10 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions
2015 - Elvin Bishop as original member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
2011 - Dr. John
1999 - The Staple Singers
1998 - Allen Toussaint
1994 - Willie Dixon
1993 - Ruth Brown
1992 - Booker T. & the MG's
1991 - John Lee Hooker
1989 - Charlie Watts as member of The Rolling Stones
1987 - Muddy Waters

7 Grammy Lifetime Achievement or Trustee Awards
2016 - Ruth Brown
2009 - The Blind Boys of Alabama
2009 - Allen Toussaint (Trustee Award)
2007 - Booker T. and the MG's
2005 - The Staple Singers
2000 - John Lee Hooker
1992 - Muddy Waters

21 Blues Hall of Fame inductions (plus a 2014 induction for Rosebud Founder, Mike Kappus) and for an unprecedented 4 Blues Foundation awards for Manager / Agency of the year
2022 - Bettye LaVette
2018 - Pops Staples
2017 - Mavis Staples
2016 - Elvin Bishop
2016 - John Mayall
2012 - Allen Toussaint
2012 - Michael Bloomfield
2011 - Robert Cray
2011 - John Hammond
2010 - Charlie Musselwhite
2009 - Irma Thomas
2007 - Dr. John
2006 - James Cotton
2002 - Ruth Brown
1998 - Luther Allison
1996 - Charles Brown
1991 - Sunnyland Slim
1986 - Albert Collins
1980 - Willie Dixon
1980 - Muddy Waters
1980 - John Lee Hooker