History:

The history of The Kaplan Brothers is quite confusing and has been filled with rumors for many years. A big thank you to both Ed Kaplan and Larry Andes for giving me their time and memories to finish their story in full. I was honored to speak to both of you.

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The Kaplan Brothers were formed in the Chicago suburbs in 1966. Dick Kaplan was a photographer in the United States Army for several years. He was stationed in Germany for a while before being discharged in the mid 1960's. Dick began to perform as a solo act in clubs across Germany and throughout the Iron Curtain. He sang songs in english, german, and russian. He accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, an instrument his father also played.

Dick returned to the United States in 1966. Ed, who had had been thrown out of college for burning down a barn, was persuaded by Dick to return to college and accompany him in several business ventures. Dick had some other members in his backing band when Ed showed off his harmonizing skills to them. Dick was impressed and the two formed a duo act. 

The brothers entertained fans with Dick playing guitar and Ed on various percussion instruments. The duo played clubs, pool parties, restaurants, hotels and lounges. Wayne Newton, who knew Dick from his days as a hotel sales manager, aided in getting the group a lot of their first gigs.

Eventually, the Kaplans hit the studio to record their first LP "Universal Sounds Of The Kaplan Brothers". The duo auditioned several musicians from Chicago to both play on the album and join their band. Scott Klynas and Jeff Czech, though not the duo's first choices, were selected. Klynas played lead guitar while Czech played bass guitar. Klynas played organ and piano both live and in the studio. Both musicians were supposedly fresh out of high school when recording the album.

The album included performances of pop and country standards of the time featuring some psychedelic twists. Two originals credited to both brothers were featured on the album. An instrumental entitled "Running Scared" and a tune called "Gone" were both written by Dick. The album was released in 1968 on their own independent Kaplan Record Productions label.

The band continued as a quartet for about 6-8 months before both Klynas and Czech departed the group. Klynas continued his music career and eventually released a single. Czech eventually played bass guitar in a band called Earwax Control. Ed and Dick continued on as a duo throughout 1969 and 1970 playing primarily in Illinois. They were hired by a major talent agency from New York City which broadened their territory throughout the midwestern United States. The Kaplans then decided to find a bass player to round out their sound. Larry Andes (who went by Larry Kaplan) joined the group on bass guitar. Larry had joined the group officially in 1971 after a three week trial period. 

The trio began expanding their territory by performing on the west coast and northern United States. The group returned to the studio in 1972 to record and release a self-titled affair. The studio ended up being a two-track recorder in a garage in Wisconsin. This album features more contemporary covers than their first albeit performed in an acoustic fashion. Two original tracks; "Happy" by Dick and "Free and Easy" by Larry are on the album. A single featuring these self-penned tunes was released at the same time. Both the single and self-titled album were distributed through their own label Kap Records. 

The album has a few variations: one pressing has a red label, another has a white label, and a third has an alternate cover and title ("Electric Three Man Hebrew Band"). The session for the album was done in one take. This is the most common album to find in the wild, indicating it sold well. 

It was during this period that the group began tinkering with their style. Dick was heavily inspired by progressive rock bands like The Moody Blues and King Crimson. He tried recreating their style via exotic instruments. A mellotron, likely an M-400, was bought by Dick for the band. The mellotron was bought from Mike Pinder and The Moody Blues. It was their backup that was never used on stage. The mellotron was played solely by Larry. The keyboard acquisition was a success as the band was being booked more and was earning more money due to it. Ed stated that bookers thought that having a mellotron "was like having two more members in the band" due to it's large and unique sound. 

Effects via tape looped cassettes were introduced during this period as well. Ed controlled them, as well as fog and lighting effects on stage. Dick bought a flute and told Ed that he had less than a week to learn the instrument. Though it took some time, Ed became proficient on the instrument and it became a key part of the group's sound. 

This incarnation continued performing together into 1975. In San Diego, The Kaplan Brothers commenced new recording sessions which would be the last tracks that Larry Kaplan would perform on. This session produced the songs "Nightbird" and an unreleased song titled "Sweet Talkin' Mama". "Nightbird" became the basis for the trio's next album and this version was included with overdubs. Larry Kaplan departed the group soon after this session due to his lack of success becoming a notable songwriter. 

The Kaplan Brothers then recruited a quick replacement. Auditions were held at their home base, the San Diego Hilton Hotel. Dick was looking for strictly a keyboardist, not a bass guitarist. After a day of auditions, The Kaplans were packing up their gear when a young man ran in and asked if the audition session was over. They reluctantly agreed to let him audition, and they were blown away by his talent. Jack Kaplan was then recruited to the band.

Jack took on the Kaplan surname like Larry did during his tenure. Jack was multiracial and much younger than Dick and Ed, supposedly around 20. Jack was "strange" according to Ed. He was not very good with money and apparently had personal problems. Ed looked after him during his tenure in the band but praised his amazing talent saying that "nobody could touch him on stage".

The group's sound was completely revamped upon another trip to the studio. "Nightbird", also known as "Nightbird: An Electric Symphony" was recorded and released in 1975.  The album showcases several progressive rock and folk influences Dick had. A concept album that explored the relationship between the life cycle and love, the group performed a mix of originals and strange covers. Some of the odd covers include stabs at King Crimson's "Epitaph" and the traditional folk tune "He Was A Friend Of Mine" which was retitled to "He". Ed said that "Dick knew time was slipping away" and that Nightbird was Dick's "last shot at something big". Ed had a baby on the way, and Dick knew he was going to leave the group when his son was born. 

The songs were connected by short transitions, usually sound effect or keyboard based. The album features extensive use of mellotron, flutes, primitive (most likely MiniMoog) synthesizers, and piano to create a synthetic orchestra. This synthetic orchestra created a very strange and melancholic backdrop for the group's patented harmony vocals. Jack Kaplan played all of the keyboards present on the album, contributing bass via a synthesizer (which sounds just like a bass guitar, a great example of his keyboard talent). 

The Kaplan Brothers appear as a quartet only on the title song "Nightbird". The album contained hints of dedication towards Ed Kaplan's first born son Quinton. This is seen in the label name Quinton Record Co. and production company First Born Productions. Allegedly, Dick sold the master tapes of "Nightbird" to a UK based collector in the early 2000's which resulted in several unofficial reissues on CD and vinyl in the US, Japan, and UK.

The album sold very well, usually selling around 20-30 copies a gig. It sold especially well in Las Vegas and San Diego. Ed thought the tracks were too fast and didn't like the song "Love Is Life" which he considered filler. I concurred with his assesment in my review. The Kaplan Brothers officially called it quits with a fairwell show on July 4th, 1976, the bicentennial. Three busloads of people arrived to say goodbye to one of the most popular lounge bands in America.

So where are The Kaplan Brothers today? Dick and Ed went their separate ways after the group called it quits. Ed settled in Colorado to raise a family while Dick ended up in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Dick first worked as a concrete salesman, but grew disillusioned and returned to music. He played as a solo act for 30 years in Mexico, having his own theatre built for him. He also worked in real estate and tourism during his time there.

Dick unfortunately developed health issues and passed away in 2005. Ed is still alive and well in Colorado. I spoke to him in November of 2024 and he was very grateful that his brother's music is becoming popular.

Larry is doing well and living in California. After his time in the group, Larry went back to school and got a degree in optometry. He still plays music and records albums to this day. To hear some of his stories (and purchase his new music), view an "interview" I had with him in 2022 entitled Free And Easy: A Kaplan Brother's Story on this site. It was an absolute privilege consulting his knowledge on The Kaplan Brothers' history. 

In March of 2024, nearly 50 years after Larry left The Kaplan Brothers, Larry was able to reunite with Ed in California. The two haven't seen each other since the spring of 1975. They even stayed at the same Hilton where they played their last show together. I was beyond honored and extremely happy to help the two reunite and get back in touch.

The Kaplan Brothers work has recently swelled in popularity. Though noted for years in books such as The Acid Archives and Enjoy The Experience, The Kaplan Brothers work has gotten shout outs on blogs, many websites, and by musicians including David Tibet. "Nightbird", despite it's oddity, is becoming a huge hit with younger collectors, especially on YouTube and Discogs. The Kaplan Brothers' music has gained immortality in the large realm of music, the ultimate achievement for any artist.