I am putting in a nomination for Bob Rupp into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
I am reposting what I wrote on my FB page, both to honor Rupp and his mighty contribution to the global drumming community, but also to call into question why the current owner banned me from his IG and FB page for asking him the simple question, why? Especially now given what I see they posted only last year on webite about their 40th year anniversary ... we are strong, made it through so much, "... Here's to the next 40 years!"
There are lots of comments on this fb post including those who tell me to mind my own biz... what are your thoughts?
From Ben Makinen's FB July 19, 2025
A Farewell Skips A Beat: A Reverent Tribute, and a Necessary Question
To Alex Simpson and the Colorado Drumming Community
As a lifelong customer of Rupp’s Drums since 1983, I read Alex Simpson’s farewell announcement with deep emotion. There’s no denying what Alex accomplished in his stewardship of this legendary store—revitalizing its energy, expanding its reach, and guiding it through some of the most challenging years in retail history. His words about Bob Rupp were moving and heartfelt. And I echo them.
Because Bob Rupp wasn’t just a businessman—he was a cultural architect.
He built a sacred space for drummers. A shop where you weren’t just allowed, but encouraged to bang, test, stroke, and feel. A place where trust ran deeper than receipts—where I, and many others, were allowed to take gear out on a handshake, to test it on a gig before deciding to buy. That kind of trust… it’s rare. That kind of space? Vanishing.
That’s why I—and so many others—are reeling. Not just from the news of Rupp’s closure, but from the suddenness of it. And the unanswered question:
Alex, why wouldn’t you offer someone else the opportunity to buy Rupp’s and carry forward this living legacy?
You said yourself the store has seen seven years of financial success.
You cited 15,000 new customers. Four national dealer awards. A rejuvenated community.
So why end it now—and with just one month’s notice?
Surely someone with passion and business acumen could have stepped forward, had the chance been given. Surely the story of Rupp’s Drums deserves continuation, not liquidation.
I posed this question—respectfully—on Instagram.
I was blocked.
I asked again on Facebook.
I was banned - from both the Rupps Drums page and now, in the space of writing this post - from Alex Simpson's page.
What kind of farewell silences loyal customers who dare to care?
This isn’t bitterness. It’s heartbreak.
Rupp’s Drums was more than a shop. It was the El Chapultepec (Angela Guerrero) of percussion—a spiritual home for drummers across genres, ages, and genders.
Like El Chapultepec, it (AND Bob Rupp) deserves recognition in the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame . It deserves preservation. It deserves memory.
Alex, if there is still time—if a door can be opened instead of shuttered—please consider the possibility that this community deserves more than a final sale. It deserves a next chapter.
I know I’m not alone in feeling this / Drummers and friends like Todd Moore , Rich Guess , Mike Marlier , Gary Lefrancois, the uber swingin Todd Reid —we all grew up in the shadow of Rupp’s. Gary was a teaching institution for decades at Rupps, Marlier is now professor of drums, Todd toured internationally, Rich and I used to debate snare vs quads: which is cooler! This wasn’t just a store—it was a sanctuary.
With deep respect,
Ben Makinen
Filmmaker | Jazz Drummer | Loyal Rupp’s Customer
