For Bob Rupp, namesake of Rupp’s Drums…
…being named a recipient of the inaugural Colorado Music Hall of Fame Community Impact Awards was a personal honor as well as a salute to an ethos that championed creativity and community.
“I’ve always done things for other people,” he said. “I liked to help my customers, and every show I did, every concert I threw, it was all about original music. I like being rewarded for that.”
Rupp is originally from Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, a small town near Harrisburg, and he grew into a drumming demon with the dream of becoming anL.A. rock star. But his plans took a detour: He was driving to the West Coast in 1979 when his van broke down in Denver — and after getting a look at the Mile High City, he decided to stay. He worked for a record store at the Cinderella City mall before taking a job at a Chevy dealership that paid a lot better but was worse for his soul. After quitting his position later in 1984, he used his final check to launch a drum shop out of his living room. He quickly sold a couple of kits, then bought a whole lot more – and when those were purchased, too, he discovered that he’d stumbled into a career.
Even as his business expanded…
to fill a sprawling retail space on South Holly Street in Denver, Rupp continued to perform in local bands. He got close to the big time with the Rumble, a band that became known beyond Colorado after winning a1987 MTV national talent search that earned its video two months of rotation on the network; the group also landed a record deal with the U.K.-based Hi-Lo label. He subsequently drummed for a wide variety of area acts, including Carolyn’s Mother, Wanker, Love Garage, Paul Galaxy and the Galactix, Sex With Susie, Vinyl Oyster and Fear of Sleep, a hard-rock outfit that opened for the likes of Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon.
Over the years, Rupp became pals with a who’s-who of drum royalty:
Cream’s Ginger Baker (who lived in Colorado for several years in the 1990s), the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Missing Person’s Terry Bozzio and Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, among many others. But he had a similar kinship with pretty much anyone devoted to beats and the feeling was mutual. On Saturdays and Sundays, Rupp’s Drums became a hang-out spot for anyone in love with pounding rhythms, and there was neither an entry fee nor a requirement to purchase anything. Just being around fellow music addicts was payment enough.
Of course, drummers didn’t have to wait for the weekend to peruse percussion instruments. Rupp’s Drums only closed three days per year: Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Otherwise, the beat went on.
In 2003, Rupp sold the store to businessman Brad Telepo and moved back east.
Not that he stayed in one place for long: For the next decade-plus, he traveled the U.S. as a representative for Sabian Cymbals.
Meanwhile, the magic of Rupp’s Drums lingered. Telepo kept the shop going under its original moniker until 2018, when he sold it to Alex Simpson, who was both a drummer and a former Rupp’s Drums salesman. Simpson ran the store as a labor of love before reluctantly closing it in 2025.
By then, Rupp had moved back to the Denver area and staged regular jam sessions at his house with plenty of his bandmates over the years. He may have retired from regular employment, but the love of music that made Rupp’s Drums such an important part of the Colorado scene for forty-plus years never waned.
By Michael Roberts
