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Tower of Power
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Tower of Power is a 10-member horn-based soul band from Oakland, California.
he mid-1960s, 17-year-old tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Fremont, California. He started a band called 'The Gotham City Crime Fighters' which evolved into 'The Motowns', including bassist Francis 'Rocco' Prestia, specializing in soul music covers.
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Encyclopedia
Tower of Power is a 10-member horn-based soul band from Oakland, California.
History
In the mid-1960s, 17-year-old tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Fremont, California. He started a band called 'The Gotham City Crime Fighters' which evolved into 'The Motowns', including bassist Francis 'Rocco' Prestia, specializing in soul music covers. During 1968, Castillo teamed up with baritone saxophonist Stephen Kupka (later to be dubbed 'The Funky Doctor') and trumpet/trombone player Mic Gillette, moved to Oakland, and together began writing and performing original material. One of their early influences was Soul artist James Brown. They changed the band's name to 'Tower of Power' and began playing frequently in the Bay Area.
In 1970, Tower of Power (by then including trumpeter/arranger Greg Adams, and drummer David Garibaldi) signed a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records and quickly released its first album, East Bay Grease. Next, augmented by percussionist/conga/bongo player Brent Byars, they moved to Warner Bros. Records and 1972's Bump City and 1973's self-titled release, Tower of Power, were breakout albums for the band. The former album included "You're Still a Young Man", which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. The latter album contained possibly their most enduring song, "What is Hip?"
Tower of Power, released in the spring of 1973, was the third album for the Oakland-based band. This has been the group's most successful album to date. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and received a gold record award for sales in excess of 500,000 copies. The album also spawned their most-successful single "So Very Hard To Go". Although the single peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, it landed in the Top 10 on the surveys of many West Coast Top 40 radio stations, hitting #1 on most of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?"
1974's Back to Oakland spawned another hit, "Don't Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)", that reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, plus "Time Will Tell", which charted at #69.
On some of their releases in the mid-1970s, such as Urban Renewal (1974), the band moved more toward funk than soul; however, they continued recording ballads as well. After vocalist Lenny Williams moved on, the band's days of chart radio airplay declined. During the late 1970s, they briefly tried recording disco-sounding material. Leader Emilio Castillo said in an interview that the band's brief foray into quasi-disco music was at the request of Columbia Records, who had the band under a recording contract at the time.
Tower of Power still tours extensively today. There have been many personnel changes over the years. At least 60 musicians have either toured or recorded with the band over its 40-year existence. These include current Saturday Night Live musical director/saxophonist Lenny Pickett, drummer David Garibaldi, bassist Rocco Prestia, organ master Chester Thompson, saxophonists Richard Elliot and Euge Groove, and early guitarist Bruce Conte. Conte's cousin, BALCO founder Victor Conte, also played bass guitar in the band from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Former lead vocalist Rick Stevens was sentenced to life in prison on three counts of first-degree murder after leaving the band. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on 'East Bay Grease'.
Bruce Conte rejoined ToP, replacing veteran guitarist Jeff Tamelier. He departed after slightly more than a year, citing personal recording projects and health issues. Long term fans will note that for this relatively short period during 2006–2007, that ToP (with Bruce) had 5 of their (then) 11 'Back-in-the-Day' members 'Back-on-the-Stage'.
Following Bruce as guitarist was Charles Spikes (while auditions for a permanent player were held), then Mark Harper, who offers powerful and accurate harmony vocals.
The ToP horn section has appeared on many other artists' recordings, including Little Feat, the Monkees, Santana, Elkie Brooks, Elton John, Linda Lewis, RAD. (Rose Ann Dimalanta), John Lee Hooker, Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship, Heart, Huey Lewis and the News, Spyro Gyra, Lyle Lovett, Poison, Phish, Toto, Pharoahe Monch, and Aerosmith. Tower's early song, 'So Very Hard To Go' was featured in the soundtrack of the 2002 film City of God, as well as Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro.
The TOP horns toured with Huey Lewis and The News during the mid-1980s. They joined the 'Sports' tour to support Huey's highly successful album of the same name, and recorded on several of Huey's albums. Huey enjoyed the experience so much that he later hired other horn players to continue the bigger sound he had achieved with the Tower horns. Huey has also collaborated on a few of Tower's songs.
Tower of Power has made special guest appearances on the albums of other major recording solo artists. In 1993 the band was featured on Luis Miguel's Aries, in a cover of "Attitude Dance" titled "Que Nivel de Mujer". Most recently, Tower of Power has been featured on Josh Groban's Awake, during an instrumental break in "Machine".
Tower of Power has been recording and touring continuously since 1968, and the band maintains a very busy tour calendar. Recently they celebrated their 40th Anniversary with shows in San Mateo, California in August, and a huge show at the Fillmore in San Francisco on October 18, 2008. At that show many former band members appeared onstage, and the entire event was recorded for a DVD to be released mid 2009.
Tower of Power has released 19 albums over the years (compilations and regional variations not included), the latest being 2009's homage to classic soul songs CD, The Great American Soulbook.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
- 1976: Live and in Living Color
- 1988: Direct
- 1997: Soul Vaccination: Live
- 2008: East Bay Archive Volume 1 (recorded at K-K-K-Katy's, Boston, MA; April 1973
Compilations
- 1974: Funkland
- 1999: Dinosaur Tracks
- 2001: The Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years
- 2002: Soul With a Capital "S": The Best of Tower of Power
- 2003: Havin' Fun
- 2003: What is Hip & Other Hits
- 2006: What is Hip
Singles
- 1972: "You're Still a Young Man", No. 29 (The Billboard Hot 100)(R&B No. 24)
- 1972: "Down to the Nightclub", No. 66
- 1973: "So Very Hard to Go", No. 17 (R&B No. 11)
- 1973: "This Time It's Real", No. 65 (R&B No. 27)
- 1974: "What Is Hip?", No. 91 (R&B No. 39)
- 1974: "Time Will Tell", No. 69 (R&B No. 27)
- 1974: "Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)", No. 26 (R&B No. 22)
- 1976: "You Ought To Be Havin' Fun", No. 68 (R&B No. 62)
Videos and DVDs
- 1986: Credit (The band's only music video, to date)
- 2003: Tower of Power in Concert (1998, Live at Ohne Filter, after return of Garibaldi)
- 2007: Live from Leverkusen (2005 November Show)
Note: Over the years, there also have been many Television performances of ToP aired though not released for sale. One worthy of mention took place in 1991, also part of the German TV live performance series 'Ohne Filter, Musik Pur', which included Tom Bowes and the other then-current members.
External links
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