We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cap James a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cap, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My father was a trained musician and vocalist, having attended The Eastman School of Music. He urged me to take piano when I was about 8. I did for about 2 years but found it too hard to read off 2 staffs and use all ten fingers and thumbs. Every Saturday evening my parents and I would watch The Lawrence Welk Show. I saw a cool looking white haired guy with black rimmed glasses playing the trumpet. I like the fact that the trumpet only played one note at a time, so I was hooked. I started playing around 1960 and now I have white hair and have blacked rimmed glasses. My father let me play in his dance band and I played in the pit orchestra of a traveling musical performance group, of which my father was the musical director. He also directed the town band and the firemen’s marching band, which I, of course, played in.

Every night after dinner, my dad and I would jam, him on the piano and me playing off the same sheet music. So that’s where I learned how to transpose. Those were some of my best memories.

I hope he would be proud of my carrying on his passion for music.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

As I have shared, I cut my teeth on big band, concert, musicals and marching band music from the opportunities my father provided me. Thereafter, I marched with the Syracuse University marching band and played with the university’s concert and pep bands. When I got out of law school and went to work, my law firm frowned on my gigging with dance bands at night. So when I gigged with dance bands at night, I did so under the stage name of Cap James. Cap was a high school nickname and James is my real middle name. So ever since, when performing as a musician, I have done so under the name of Cap James.
After moving to Columbia in 2003, I played in the USC School of Music senior concert and jazz bands. I have also played in various dance bands and combos, church orchestras and even the German Band.

My dear friend, Mark Powers, who was the Pastor of Traditional Music for Riverland Hills Baptist Church, encouraged all orchestra members to be music ministers. I took this calling seriously and started The Cap James Music Ministry in 2018, which performs as the Riverland Big Band, the Cap James Combo or the Cap James trio or duo. When I play for church, charitable, veterans or senior citizen functions, I, personally, do not charge for my services. but do so as part of my music ministry.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The motto of The Cap James Music Ministry is: “We Play It Forward” What this means is that my big band or smaller group can play for charitable, church or worthy functions or fundraisers at no charge to the function holder. We can do this with the financial support of the community. Although I, personally, do not charge for performing at such functions, my professional musicians, who play as their means of income, have to be paid. With the financial support of community businesses, groups and individuals, we can “play” it forward by not charging the charities, etc.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It is said that when you are happy, you hear the melody. When you are sad, you hear the lyrics. I am most touched when people come up to me and tell me how my music has revived old memories or has warmed their hearts. I was even recently approached by a man and his wife after a church service and was told that I had a counterpart in heaven. He continued to tell me that he was in a dance band many years ago and his best friend, who had died, played trumpet in the same style that I do and even sat in a chair like I do. He said that I looked like his friend and the memories brought tears to eyes. And I thought that I was just playing for the Lord and for my wife sitting in the congregation. I was blown away.

Contact Info:

• Website: riverlandband.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapJamesMusic