One of the main promoters of Rock and the Hippie Culture in the 60's in Venezuela and afterthem a Venezuelan Folk Music supporter, died at age 84. His beliefs on peace and love guided the whole life of this radio announcer and idol.

He was born in Caracas as Santos Calixto Escalante Donzella on All Saint's Day, but he was known simply as Cappy Donzella. His career started at young age inRadio Capital 710 AM, which became the most important youth radio station.

Hippie and rocker

That's how he started proffesionally, his first show was Hippie Happy Cappy. He was part of the most important activities promoting this genre and this culture. His voice was the leading one in the "Experiencia Psicotomimética", a multimedia show that catapulted all the nascent rock groups and the first youth orchestra conducted by a young man "Venezuela Pop".

In an interview I did to him (2001), he talked:

When we were in the movement of rock, that responded to our need to face the system, that went against the established. Subsequently, with the birth of the hippie movement we wanted to stand in solidarity with them who faced war and destruction. When the English and American hippies opposed the Vietnam War with their slogan of "love and peace" it was because of a real feeling of ending the death of young Vietnamese and Americans, who killed themselves in something meaningless.

Then he continued

Unfortunately, all that movement was swallowed by the system. When I heard the advertising slogan "Pepsi is love" I realized that everything had lost its way.

That situation led me to a deep analysis and it was when I realized that the great power of countries like the United States was in the importance that Americans give to their customs and traditions, that all their strength is based on their culture, which for them, it goes first.

^{Cappy and the most important radio announcers part of the Hippie Culture}

Finally he concludes:

This induced me to delve into my roots and as I began to discover them I noticed that I was beginning to understand myself more and more.

All we had been doing was copying other cultures and copying wont lead anywhere.

From that moment on he dedicated himself to promoting and supporting Venezuelan music. Despite the fact that many of his colleagues rejected him at the beginning, with his perseverance he showed that he was convinced of his principles and that is why he earned everyone's respect.

Venezuelan roots

Cappy became the driving force behind many projects. He supported all genres of Venezuelan music, but he also discovered his pride of being born in Caracas and made a great effort to spread the music of the capital. But not only the music, the whole culture from Caracas, He was proud to speak with the typical tone of the city, he loved the food and all customs related to Caracas. Of course he became also a promoter for the "cañonera music".

And we met...

By 1982 Cappy had many years dedicated to promotion of Venezuelan music and I was starting a project with my sister @helyorsini and some friends, we were starting with a new group, we recorded a couple of demo songs and we went to him. He listened to our music and with a strong face asked us "will you really keep this group?". We didn't understand the question, so he very seriously explained: I won't be promoting so that afterward I call you and you say: no, we have the group not anymore...". Now we understood and answered, yes we'll keep it.

And so he kept his word and started promoting us and after six months we were signing a contract with one of the most outstandings record labels.

An so we kept our word and the group "Los Cañoneros" is 35 years old.

But the most beautiful thing about this is that our "business-relation" never was like that, because he didn't handle relations this way, he was a Friend for every one.

The name of her first show "Hippie Happy Cappy" became a way of life for him, thats why he had all the time the right word to make you happy, he found everytime the way to make you smile, to make you feel better, he had a good advice whenever you neede and her hands ready to help anyone.

I'm happy that this friendship extended to our families and got us very close.

Have a good trip my dear friend!

^{Cappy, my wife and me}