Tim Kula – 2023 INDUCTEE

Owner and operator of the famed F.B. & Company in Waubeek Iowa, Tim Kula was born in Cedar Rapids and says he has held residence in Iowa for TWO lifetimes!

Tim recalls being introduced to the music scene in his early twenties in Anamosa at Ford and Maine which was a local bar with live acts. Having caught the bug, Tim opened F.B. & Company in 1979, hosting mostly local acts such as Vern McShane, The Waubeek Trackers, and The Blue Band.

Tim credits his friend and musician the late Bill Null as the one who talked him into hiring bigger acts, starting with Asleep at the Wheel and Leon Russell.  Bill would do much of the booking with agents.  Other heavy hitters soon followed like; Charlie Musselwhite, Lonnie Brooks, Marcia Ball, Duke Robillard, Lonnie Mack, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, John Hammond, Joanna Conner, Lucky Peterson and many many more. For several years, Tim held single day shows on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and July 4th, with up to 1,000 attendees including hundreds of motorcyclists. Tim has also steadfastly supported and showcased Iowa blues players, within these annual holiday shows.

Tim has hosted Iowa Blues Hall of Famers; Bob Dorr, Billylee Janey, Craig Erickson, Patrick Hazel, Tom Giblin, Dan DJ Johnson, Dennis McMurrin, Ernie Peniston, Jeff Petersen, Kevin Burt, and Joe and Vicki Price, among many others.