Tower of Power
Encyclopedia
Tower of Power is an American
R&B-based horn section
and band, originating in Oakland, California
, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section. There have been several lead vocalists, the most famous being Lenny Williams
, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. Their biggest hits include "You're Still A Young Man", "So Very Hard To Go", "What Is Hip?", and "Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)."
, their soul sound relating to both minority and rebellious listeners.
By 1970, the now renamed Tower of Power (including trumpet
/arranger Greg Adams, first trumpet Mic Gillette
, first saxophone Skip Mesquite, Francis "Rocco" Prestia
on bass, Willie Fulton on guitar, and drummer David Garibaldi) signed a recording contract with Bill Graham
's San Francisco Records and released their first album, East Bay Grease
. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on this debut album which included the single Sparkling In The Sand, which received airplay on famed Bay Area soul station KDIA
.
Augmented by percussionist/conga/bongo player Brent Byars, guitarist Bruce Conte
and keyboardist Chester Thompson, Tower of Power moved to Warner Bros. Records
. With Rick Stevens now singing lead, 1972's Bump City
would give the band its first national exposure. This album included "You're Still a Young Man", which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Emilio Castillo, who co-wrote and sang lead on "You're Still a Young Man," told Songfacts that the song was based on a true story concerning a former girlfriend who was six years older than him. Though not released as a single, "Down to the Nightclub" received heavy airplay on West Coast FM stations and several AM stations. Both songs still get substantial airplay on oldies
radio and remain fan favorites.
Tower of Power, released in the spring of 1973, the third album for the band, now featured Lenny Williams on lead vocals and Lenny Pickett on first saxophone. This was the group's most successful album. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Pop Albums
chart and was RIAA certified as a gold record (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 many of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?" The latter is possibly their most enduring song.
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. Williams left the band in late 1974, and was replaced as vocalist by Hubert Tubbs. Though the band remained popular, their days of chart radio airplay declined. During the late 1970s they briefly tried recording disco-sounding material. Leader Emilio Castillio 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 contract at the time.
Tower of Power still tours extensively today, though there have been many changes over the years. At least 60 musicians have toured or recorded with the band over its 40-plus-year existence. These include current Saturday Night Live
musical director/saxophonist Lenny Pickett, drummer David Garibaldi, bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia, organ master Chester Thompson, saxophonists Richard Elliot
and Euge Groove
, and 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 (real name Donald Stevenson) was sentenced to life in prison on three counts of first-degree murder for crimes committed after leaving the band. Bruce Conte rejoined the band in 2006, replacing veteran guitarist Jeff Tamelier. He departed after slightly more than a year, citing personal recording projects and health issues. Following Conte as guitarist was Charles Spikes (while auditions for a permanent player were held), then Mark Harper.
. In 1993 the band was featured on Luis Miguel
's Aries
, in a cover of "Attitude Dance" titled "Que Nivel de Mujer". More recently, Tower of Power has been featured on Josh Groban
's Awake
, during an instrumental break in "Machine".
in 1977, one of the three inaugural acts to perform at the newly-opened Rockpalast
studios on the song, "Rocket in my Pocket".
Other performers supported by the Tower of Power horns include The Monkees
, The Grateful Dead, Santana
, Elkie Brooks
, Cat Stevens
(on his Foreigner Suite), Elton John
, Linda Lewis
, rad. (Rose Ann Dimalanta), Jermaine Jackson
, John Lee Hooker
, Rufus
, Rod Stewart
, Jefferson Starship
, Mickey Hart
, Heart
, Damn Yankees
, Huey Lewis and the News
, Spyro Gyra
, KMFDM
, Lyle Lovett
, Poison
, Phish
, Toto
, Pharoahe Monch
, Brothers Johnson
, and Aerosmith
, among many other acts. Their 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
.
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 The Great American Soulbook.
) is a saxophone
player and composer
and is best known as the founder of the band. After he was caught stealing by his father, who told him he could stay in his room until he thought of something to keep himself off the street, Castillo chose music. He took lessons in saxophone, piano
, guitar
, and also in music theory from one-time Dave Brubeck
bass player Norman Bates
. His first musical endeavor was as a keyboard player in a British Invasion
style group, The Gotham City Crimefighters. After seeing the Bay Area
soul band The Spyders, Castillo switched to saxophone and formed The Motowns, which played soul music
covers.
After meeting baritone sax player Stephen Kupka, Castillio switched, on Kupka's suggestion, to performing original material and the band changed its name to Tower of Power. Castillio has been with the band ever since, as leader and 2nd tenor saxophonist. He and Kupka are also responsible for writing many of the band's best-known songs.
player and composer, and is best known as a founding member of the band.
In 1968, Kupka met Emilio Castillo and joined his soul music cover band, The Motowns, which was based in Oakland, California. Kupka convinced Castillo to start performing original songs, and they changed the band's name to Tower of Power. Kupka has been with Tower of Power ever since, and is also responsible for co-writing (with Castillo) many of the band's best-known songs.
According to his bio on the Bump City site, the "Doc" plays a Yamaha YBS-62 baritone saxophone, Berg Larsen 130 facing metal mouthpiece, and Rico Plasticover 1.5 strength reeds. Kupka has also recorded with numerous other artists, including The B-52's
, Chicago
, Dan Fogelberg
, Heart
, Elton John
, Huey Lewis and the News
, Little Feat
, Elkie Brooks, and Bonnie Raitt
.
In 1998, Kupka founded Strokeland Records along with Andy Ebon, CEO of Soul, as a platform for his own songwriting. Strokeland Records grew to include numerous other soul, jazz, and funk artists.
In 2006, Steve Finch took over as Director of Operations for Strokeland Records, as Kupka began work on two new releases: "Doc Goes Hollywood", a collection of his songs written in the "Great American Songbook" style; and "Bumped Up to First Class", a new collection of Kupka's classic soul songs in the early Tower of Power style.
) is the bassist of the band and a prominent musician on his instrument.
Prestia started playing electric guitar as an adolescent. When he auditioned for Tower of Power, Castillo persuaded him to switch to electric bass
. Prestia remembers an "immediate and incendiary" connection with the band's drummer, David Garibaldi, with whom he would establish one of the most original and influential rhythm sections of all time. The drummer's fast, nervous style blended perfectly with the bassist's dry, percussive approach. The resultant combination, along with the band's powerful horn section, defined the band's distinctive sound.
Prestia worked with the band until 1977. He later rejoined and remained with the band until he became seriously ill in 2001. His fans and friends created a fund in order to help pay the artist's medical costs. In 2002 Prestia underwent successful liver transplant surgery and since then he has gradually resumed his professional activity and remains the Tower of Power bass player.
of the band. He began playing drums in childhood while living near San Francisco, California
.
In January 1998, David Garibaldi rejoined Tower of Power and continues touring with them. He is also featured as a traps player on the Mickey Hart
/Planet Drum
album Supralingua.
, and The Sons of Champlin. Mic rejoined Tower of Power in August 2009 after a 25 year absence, and left the band in March 2011. Gillette's association with the band began in 1967 as Emilio Castillo's bandmate in the Gotham City Crimefighters, Black Orpheus, The Motowns, and ultimately Tower of Power.
/flugelhorn
player and music arranger
, best known for his arrangements and playing with the band Tower of Power, over a 25-year span.
Adams grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and while attending Westmoor High School
in Daly City he established his reputation as a musical prodigy. He had made plans to attend the Berklee School of Music in Boston, but instead accepted an invitation to join Tower of Power for their first album, East Bay Grease (1970). He remained with the band for 25 years and was responsible for many of their distinctive horn arrangements, including "What Is Hip?" (1973) which earned him a Grammy Award
nomination.
In 1995 Adams recorded his first solo album, Hidden Agenda (Epic), which reached #1 on the U.S. smooth jazz
charts. His subsequent albums include Midnight Morning (Ripa, Blue Note) (2002), Firefly (215) (2004), Cool To The Touch (Ripa) (2006), and East Bay Soul (Ripa) (2009).
Adams has recorded with and/or arranged for numerous other artists, including Chicago
, Heart
, Elton John
, Huey Lewis and the News
, Little Feat
, Bonnie Raitt
, and Carlos Santana
. In 1989 he was nominated (with Paul Shaffer
) for an Emmy Award
for his arrangements for the Late Night with David Letterman
7th anniversary special.
(born Leonard Charles Williams on February 6, 1945, in Little Rock, Arkansas) was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power from 1972–1974 and appeared on three of the group's most commercially successful albums: Tower Of Power, Back To Oakland, and Urban Renewal. Williams left the group to pursue a solo career and made several hit recordings, including “Cause I Love You” and "Choosing You."
, New Mexico
, April 10, 1954) is a saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger and music director
. He was a member of the Tower of Power Horns from 1972 until 1981, and since 1985 has been the tenor saxophone soloist with the Saturday Night Live
band. He has served as the Saturday Night Live band's musical director since 1995. He is known particularly for his skill in the altissimo
register (executed by using a combination of embouchure control, air stream control, and alternate fingerings), which can be heard during the opening credits of each episode of Saturday Night Live.
Pickett grew up in Berkeley, California. He has no formal musical training, did not attend high school beyond the ninth grade and did not attend college. Except for a brief period of study with the jazz saxophonist Bert Wilson (another player known for his facility with the altissimo register) after dropping out of high school in Berkeley, he is completely self-taught in the saxophone. While with the Tower of Power Horns, which he joined when he was 18 years old, he performed with Elton John
and many other rhythm and blues and soul groups. He has also worked as a saxophonist and an arranger for artists including David Bowie
, Talking Heads
, and Laurie Anderson
. As a composer, he has written for his group, the Borneo Horns, and has received a number of commissions to write works mixing classical and popular idioms for a variety of musical ensembles, including the New Century Saxophone Quartet, as well as music for theater and collaborations with dancers, poets and filmmakers.
He is a professor of jazz saxophone at New York University
.
, who shared rehearsal halls with, and regularly opened shows for Tower Of Power. Conte joined Tower of Power in 1972, at the beginning of the recording sessions for the band's third album, and remained with them until 1979. He briefly returned for live work from 2006-2007. In addition to playing guitar, Conte also contributed backing vocals and wrote a number of songs for the band. Bruce was also the guitarist on TOP's latest release, The Great American Soulbook.
The lead and background vocal artist's first performance with the band was at Reno, Nevada in 1999, and soon he was offered the gig, to which he responded, “thanks, but no thanks.” Of course, he was kidding, and up till today remains the longest lead vocalist the band has ever had. Braggs did the lead vocals for TOP's latest album The Great American Soulbook.
Politzer contributes to the band's complex sound with his first tenor sax, alto sax, flute, and clarinet. Tom, who started playing clarinet at an early age, has an extensive classical music background, joining school bands and local youth orchestras. While in Junior High, the Jazz Band needed someone to fill the baritone sax chair. He switched from playing clarinet to baritone sax (inspired, in part, by Tower of Power’s song, “Squib Cakes”).
In 1995, Carter became lead singer for Tower of Power. Tower of Power recorded three albums/CDs during Carter's 5½ year tenure with the band—Souled Out, Rhythm & Business, and Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live. When they were not in the studio, Carter toured the world with Tower of Power. Brent continues to record and is the voice on several jingles and performs in the US and abroad. In 2011 Carter made several brief appearances with the band, singing "I Like Your Style".
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B-based horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
and band, originating in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section. There have been several lead vocalists, the most famous being Lenny Williams
Lenny Williams
Leonard Charles "Lenny" Williams is an American singer known for his work in the R&B and soul music genres. During the 1970s, he was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power...
, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. Their biggest hits include "You're Still A Young Man", "So Very Hard To Go", "What Is Hip?", and "Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)."
History
The roots of the band go back to the summer of 1968, when tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo met Stephen "Doc" Kupka, who played baritone sax. Castillo had played in several bands, but it was Castillo's father, who told his son to "hire that guy" after a home audition. Together, they would become the backbone of Tower of Power. Within months, the group, known as the Motowns at the time, would begin playing various "gigs" around Oakland and BerkeleyBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, their soul sound relating to both minority and rebellious listeners.
By 1970, the now renamed Tower of Power (including trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
/arranger Greg Adams, first trumpet Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette is an American brass player born in 1951 and raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin....
, first saxophone Skip Mesquite, Francis "Rocco" Prestia
Rocco Prestia
Francis «Rocco» Prestia is an American musician, the bassist of the legendary funk band Tower of Power and one of the most important figures in electric bass' history.- Biography :...
on bass, Willie Fulton on guitar, and drummer David Garibaldi) signed a recording contract with Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
's San Francisco Records and released their first album, East Bay Grease
East Bay Grease
East Bay Grease is the debut album by the soul funk group Tower of Power. It is characteristic of the Bay City funk style they helped to establish and further built upon throughout their career.- Track listing :...
. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on this debut album which included the single Sparkling In The Sand, which received airplay on famed Bay Area soul station KDIA
KDIA
KDIA is a radio station in Vallejo, California. It is a separate entity from the station at 1310 AM that held the KDIA call letters for many years. The 1640 AM frequency was licensed as part of an extension of the AM band in 1998, and adopted the abandoned KDIA call letters then.-KDIA 1310...
.
Augmented by percussionist/conga/bongo player Brent Byars, guitarist Bruce Conte
Bruce Conte
Bruce Conte is an American R&B / jazz fusion guitarist, known primarily for his work with the band Tower Of Power of which he was a member from 1972 to 1979, performing on seven albums and rejoining the band for live work briefly in 2006-7.-Biography:...
and keyboardist Chester Thompson, Tower of Power moved to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. With Rick Stevens now singing lead, 1972's Bump City
Bump City
Bump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi. It's also their first album for Warner Bros. Records...
would give the band its first national exposure. This album included "You're Still a Young Man", which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Emilio Castillo, who co-wrote and sang lead on "You're Still a Young Man," told Songfacts that the song was based on a true story concerning a former girlfriend who was six years older than him. Though not released as a single, "Down to the Nightclub" received heavy airplay on West Coast FM stations and several AM stations. Both songs still get substantial airplay on oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
radio and remain fan favorites.
Tower of Power, released in the spring of 1973, the third album for the band, now featured Lenny Williams on lead vocals and Lenny Pickett on first saxophone. This was the group's most successful album. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart and was RIAA certified as a gold record (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 many of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?" The latter is possibly their most enduring song.
1974's Back to Oakland
Back to Oakland
- Track list :#"Oakland Stroke..." - 0:53#"Don't Change Horses " - 4:28#"Just When We Start Makin' It" - 6:30...
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
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
than soul; however, they continued recording ballads as well. Williams left the band in late 1974, and was replaced as vocalist by Hubert Tubbs. Though the band remained popular, their days of chart radio airplay declined. During the late 1970s they briefly tried recording disco-sounding material. Leader Emilio Castillio said in an interview that the band's brief foray into quasi-disco music was at the request of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, who had the band under contract at the time.
Tower of Power still tours extensively today, though there have been many changes over the years. At least 60 musicians have toured or recorded with the band over its 40-plus-year existence. These include current Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
musical director/saxophonist Lenny Pickett, drummer David Garibaldi, bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia, organ master Chester Thompson, saxophonists Richard Elliot
Richard Elliot
Richard Elliot is a Scottish-born saxophone player.He was a member of the funk band Tower of Power playing tenor sax for 5 years during the 1980s. He also worked on Stacy Lattisaw's 1986 album "Take Me All The Way". His solo career took off when he remade the Percy Sledge classic "When a Man...
and Euge Groove
Euge Groove
Steven Eugene Grove , better known as Euge Groove, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist with a strong Top-40 background....
, and guitarist Bruce Conte
Bruce Conte
Bruce Conte is an American R&B / jazz fusion guitarist, known primarily for his work with the band Tower Of Power of which he was a member from 1972 to 1979, performing on seven albums and rejoining the band for live work briefly in 2006-7.-Biography:...
. Conte's cousin, BALCO
Balco
Balco can refer to:* the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative - a controversial sports medicine/nutrition centre in Burlingame, California.* Balco balcony systems who develops, designs and manufactures balcony systems and glazing solutions....
founder Victor Conte
Victor Conte
Victor Conte is a former musician with Tower of Power and founder and president of BALCO, a sports nutrition center in California. He served time in prison in 2005 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering....
, also played bass guitar in the band from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Former lead vocalist Rick Stevens (real name Donald Stevenson) was sentenced to life in prison on three counts of first-degree murder for crimes committed after leaving the band. Bruce Conte rejoined the band in 2006, replacing veteran guitarist Jeff Tamelier. He departed after slightly more than a year, citing personal recording projects and health issues. Following Conte as guitarist was Charles Spikes (while auditions for a permanent player were held), then Mark Harper.
Collaborations with other bands
Tower of Power has made guest appearances on other major recording solo artists' albums. They guested with Little FeatLittle Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
. In 1993 the band was featured on Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
's Aries
Aries (album)
-Singles released:The first single released was "Ayer", with a very big promotional campaign behind it. The singer shot three different versions for the video and they were premiered on "Siempre en Domingo" for three consecutive weekends...
, in a cover of "Attitude Dance" titled "Que Nivel de Mujer". More recently, Tower of Power has been featured on Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
's Awake
Awake (Josh Groban album)
Awake is a platinum-certified album by the American singer-songwriter Josh Groban. Announced on September 13, 2006, it is Groban's third studio album, and a follow-up to his multi-platinum album Closer. Awake was released on November 7, 2006....
, during an instrumental break in "Machine".
Horn section collaborations
The Tower of Power horn section has gained renown as a separate entity to much critical acclaim. They have appeared on a goodly number of other artists' recordings, including one of the most highly regarded early live albums: a performance with Little FeatLittle Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
in 1977, one of the three inaugural acts to perform at the newly-opened Rockpalast
Rockpalast
Rockpalast is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk . Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast...
studios on the song, "Rocket in my Pocket".
Other performers supported by the Tower of Power horns include The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
, The Grateful Dead, Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
(on his Foreigner Suite), Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Linda Lewis
Linda Lewis
Linda Lewis is an English vocalist, songwriter and Guitarist. Lewis is the oldest of six children two of whom also had singing careers...
, rad. (Rose Ann Dimalanta), Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, Rufus
Rufus (band)
Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
, Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
, Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees (band)
Damn Yankees was an American hard rock supergroup.-History:The band was formed in 1989, consisting of Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Ted Nugent of The Amboy Dukes and a successful solo career, and Michael Cartellone...
, Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
, Spyro Gyra
Spyro Gyra
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was originally formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo, New York, USA. With over 25 albums released and 10 million copies sold, they are among the most prolific as well as commercially successful groups of the genre...
, KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
, Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
, Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
, Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch is an American hip hop artist. He is known for his complex lyrics, complex delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.-Biography:...
, Brothers Johnson
Brothers Johnson
The Brothers Johnson is a band consisting of American musicians and brothers George aka 'Lightnin' Licks' and Louis E. Johnson aka 'Thunder Thumbs'.-Formation:...
, and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, among many other acts. Their 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
Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro is a 2008 American sports screwball comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierney. The film was shot in Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium , in Detroit and in Flint, Michigan...
.
Recent work
Tower of Power has been recording and touring continuously since 1968, and the band maintains a very busy tour calendar. In 2008 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 in mid-2010.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 The Great American Soulbook.
Emilio Castillio
Emilio "Mimi" Castillio (born September 24, 1950, Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) is a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and is best known as the founder of the band. After he was caught stealing by his father, who told him he could stay in his room until he thought of something to keep himself off the street, Castillo chose music. He took lessons in saxophone, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and also in music theory from one-time Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
bass player Norman Bates
Norman Bates (musician)
Norman Louis Bates is an American jazz double-bass player.Bates is the brother of Bob Bates. He played in Jimmy Dorsey's band in 1945-46 and with Raymond Scott and Carmen Cavallaro shortly thereafter. In 1948 he played in a trio with Dave Brubeck, and in 1949 with Paul Desmond. He recorded with...
. His first musical endeavor was as a keyboard player in a British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
style group, The Gotham City Crimefighters. After seeing the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
soul band The Spyders, Castillo switched to saxophone and formed The Motowns, which played soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
covers.
After meeting baritone sax player Stephen Kupka, Castillio switched, on Kupka's suggestion, to performing original material and the band changed its name to Tower of Power. Castillio has been with the band ever since, as leader and 2nd tenor saxophonist. He and Kupka are also responsible for writing many of the band's best-known songs.
Stephen Kupka
Stephen "Doc" Kupka (a.k.a. "The Funky Doctor") (born 25 March c.1946, in Berkeley, California) is a baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
player and composer, and is best known as a founding member of the band.
In 1968, Kupka met Emilio Castillo and joined his soul music cover band, The Motowns, which was based in Oakland, California. Kupka convinced Castillo to start performing original songs, and they changed the band's name to Tower of Power. Kupka has been with Tower of Power ever since, and is also responsible for co-writing (with Castillo) many of the band's best-known songs.
According to his bio on the Bump City site, the "Doc" plays a Yamaha YBS-62 baritone saxophone, Berg Larsen 130 facing metal mouthpiece, and Rico Plasticover 1.5 strength reeds. Kupka has also recorded with numerous other artists, including The B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
, Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
, Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
, Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
, Elkie Brooks, and Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
.
In 1998, Kupka founded Strokeland Records along with Andy Ebon, CEO of Soul, as a platform for his own songwriting. Strokeland Records grew to include numerous other soul, jazz, and funk artists.
In 2006, Steve Finch took over as Director of Operations for Strokeland Records, as Kupka began work on two new releases: "Doc Goes Hollywood", a collection of his songs written in the "Great American Songbook" style; and "Bumped Up to First Class", a new collection of Kupka's classic soul songs in the early Tower of Power style.
Francis Prestia
Francis "Rocco" Prestia (born March 7, 1951 in Sonora, CaliforniaSonora, California
Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,903, up from 4,423 at the 2000 census. Sonora is the only incorporated community in Tuolumne County.-Geography:...
) is the bassist of the band and a prominent musician on his instrument.
Prestia started playing electric guitar as an adolescent. When he auditioned for Tower of Power, Castillo persuaded him to switch to electric bass
Electric Bass
Electric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish...
. Prestia remembers an "immediate and incendiary" connection with the band's drummer, David Garibaldi, with whom he would establish one of the most original and influential rhythm sections of all time. The drummer's fast, nervous style blended perfectly with the bassist's dry, percussive approach. The resultant combination, along with the band's powerful horn section, defined the band's distinctive sound.
Prestia worked with the band until 1977. He later rejoined and remained with the band until he became seriously ill in 2001. His fans and friends created a fund in order to help pay the artist's medical costs. In 2002 Prestia underwent successful liver transplant surgery and since then he has gradually resumed his professional activity and remains the Tower of Power bass player.
David Garibaldi
David Garibaldi (born November 4, 1946 in Oakland, California) is the drummerDrummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
of the band. He began playing drums in childhood while living near San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
In January 1998, David Garibaldi rejoined Tower of Power and continues touring with them. He is also featured as a traps player on the Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
/Planet Drum
Planet Drum
Planet Drum is a world music album by Mickey Hart, a musician and musicologist who was a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead.Hart's concept for Planet Drum was to play drum music with percussionists from around the world, and incorporate their different musical styles and traditions into a...
album Supralingua.
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette (born 1951) is a brass player raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold BloodCold Blood
Cold Blood is a long-standing soul-rock-jazz band founded by Larry Field in 1968 and originally based in the San Francisco East Bay area. They have also gone by the name Lydia Pense and Cold Blood due to the popularity of their lead singer, Lydia Pense....
, and The Sons of Champlin. Mic rejoined Tower of Power in August 2009 after a 25 year absence, and left the band in March 2011. Gillette's association with the band began in 1967 as Emilio Castillo's bandmate in the Gotham City Crimefighters, Black Orpheus, The Motowns, and ultimately Tower of Power.
Greg Adams
Greg Adams is a trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
/flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
player and music arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, best known for his arrangements and playing with the band Tower of Power, over a 25-year span.
Adams grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and while attending Westmoor High School
Westmoor High School
Westmoor High School is an American public high school in Daly City, California that serves grades 9 through 12 as part of the Jefferson Union High School District . It generally serves the residents of Daly City, Pacifica, and Colma. Westmoor High School was recently selected as a California...
in Daly City he established his reputation as a musical prodigy. He had made plans to attend the Berklee School of Music in Boston, but instead accepted an invitation to join Tower of Power for their first album, East Bay Grease (1970). He remained with the band for 25 years and was responsible for many of their distinctive horn arrangements, including "What Is Hip?" (1973) which earned him a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination.
In 1995 Adams recorded his first solo album, Hidden Agenda (Epic), which reached #1 on the U.S. smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
charts. His subsequent albums include Midnight Morning (Ripa, Blue Note) (2002), Firefly (215) (2004), Cool To The Touch (Ripa) (2006), and East Bay Soul (Ripa) (2009).
Adams has recorded with and/or arranged for numerous other artists, including Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
, Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, and Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
. In 1989 he was nominated (with Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
) for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for his arrangements for the Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
7th anniversary special.
Lenny Williams
Lenny WilliamsLenny Williams
Leonard Charles "Lenny" Williams is an American singer known for his work in the R&B and soul music genres. During the 1970s, he was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power...
(born Leonard Charles Williams on February 6, 1945, in Little Rock, Arkansas) was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power from 1972–1974 and appeared on three of the group's most commercially successful albums: Tower Of Power, Back To Oakland, and Urban Renewal. Williams left the group to pursue a solo career and made several hit recordings, including “Cause I Love You” and "Choosing You."
Lenny Pickett
Lenny Pickett (b. Las CrucesLas Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, April 10, 1954) is a saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger and music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
. He was a member of the Tower of Power Horns from 1972 until 1981, and since 1985 has been the tenor saxophone soloist with the Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
band. He has served as the Saturday Night Live band's musical director since 1995. He is known particularly for his skill in the altissimo
Altissimo
Altissimo refers to the uppermost register on woodwind instruments. For clarinets, which overblow on odd harmonics, the altissimo notes are those based on the fifth, seventh, and higher harmonics. For other woodwinds, the altissimo notes are those based on the third, fourth, and higher harmonics...
register (executed by using a combination of embouchure control, air stream control, and alternate fingerings), which can be heard during the opening credits of each episode of Saturday Night Live.
Pickett grew up in Berkeley, California. He has no formal musical training, did not attend high school beyond the ninth grade and did not attend college. Except for a brief period of study with the jazz saxophonist Bert Wilson (another player known for his facility with the altissimo register) after dropping out of high school in Berkeley, he is completely self-taught in the saxophone. While with the Tower of Power Horns, which he joined when he was 18 years old, he performed with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and many other rhythm and blues and soul groups. He has also worked as a saxophonist and an arranger for artists including David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, and Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
. As a composer, he has written for his group, the Borneo Horns, and has received a number of commissions to write works mixing classical and popular idioms for a variety of musical ensembles, including the New Century Saxophone Quartet, as well as music for theater and collaborations with dancers, poets and filmmakers.
He is a professor of jazz saxophone at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Bruce Conte
Bruce Conte was born in Sanger, and grew up in Fresno, California. Prior to joining the band, Conte was a guitarist in various Bay Area groups, including The Loading ZoneThe Loading Zone
The Loading Zone was an American rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They issued two albums worth of material, with differing band lineups, before disbanding in 1971.-Career:...
, who shared rehearsal halls with, and regularly opened shows for Tower Of Power. Conte joined Tower of Power in 1972, at the beginning of the recording sessions for the band's third album, and remained with them until 1979. He briefly returned for live work from 2006-2007. In addition to playing guitar, Conte also contributed backing vocals and wrote a number of songs for the band. Bruce was also the guitarist on TOP's latest release, The Great American Soulbook.
Larry Braggs
Larry Braggs is the current TOP's lead vocalist. "LB" is referred to by Emilio Castillo as "Pound for pound, the baddest cat in the land". Larry's high energy vocal range allows the band to pull virtually 40 years of songs out of their "trick bag". A native of Chicago, Illinois, Larry got a scholarship to the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, where he was awarded the honors of Most Valuable Player and Best Actor of the University's Drama Department and received the B.A. degree in Music.The lead and background vocal artist's first performance with the band was at Reno, Nevada in 1999, and soon he was offered the gig, to which he responded, “thanks, but no thanks.” Of course, he was kidding, and up till today remains the longest lead vocalist the band has ever had. Braggs did the lead vocals for TOP's latest album The Great American Soulbook.
Tom E. Politzer
Tom E. Politzer, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and raised in Palo Alto, California, is currently TOP's lead tenor sax player. Tom fills that role totally, not only as an outstanding soloist, but also as a part of the five-piece Tower of Power horn section.Politzer contributes to the band's complex sound with his first tenor sax, alto sax, flute, and clarinet. Tom, who started playing clarinet at an early age, has an extensive classical music background, joining school bands and local youth orchestras. While in Junior High, the Jazz Band needed someone to fill the baritone sax chair. He switched from playing clarinet to baritone sax (inspired, in part, by Tower of Power’s song, “Squib Cakes”).
Brent Carter
Brent Carter A native New Yorker, Carter attended the Performing Arts High School of New York, where he studied acting and voice. Early on he landed the role of Gabriel in Broadway's Shenandoah. He later attended the State University of New York at New Paltz.In 1995, Carter became lead singer for Tower of Power. Tower of Power recorded three albums/CDs during Carter's 5½ year tenure with the band—Souled Out, Rhythm & Business, and Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live. When they were not in the studio, Carter toured the world with Tower of Power. Brent continues to record and is the voice on several jingles and performs in the US and abroad. In 2011 Carter made several brief appearances with the band, singing "I Like Your Style".
Studio albums
- 1970: East Bay GreaseEast Bay GreaseEast Bay Grease is the debut album by the soul funk group Tower of Power. It is characteristic of the Bay City funk style they helped to establish and further built upon throughout their career.- Track listing :...
- 1972: Bump CityBump CityBump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi. It's also their first album for Warner Bros. Records...
- 1973: Tower of PowerTower of Power (album)The album peaked at #15 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart in 1973 and received a gold record award for sales in excess of 500,000. The album also spawned their most successful single, "So Very Hard To Go". Although the single peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, "So Very Hard To Go" landed in...
- 1974: Back to OaklandBack to Oakland- Track list :#"Oakland Stroke..." - 0:53#"Don't Change Horses " - 4:28#"Just When We Start Makin' It" - 6:30...
- 1975: Urban RenewalUrban Renewal (Tower Of Power)Urban Renewal is a Tower of Power album recorded in 1974 and released in 1975. It's also the last album to feature lead singer Lenny Williams who would leave to continue a successful solo career. Plus drummer David Garibaldi left temporarily, although he does appear on the song "Willing To Learn"...
- 1975: In The SlotIn the SlotIn the Slot is a Tower of Power album released in 1975. It was their last studio album for Warner Bros. Records. It also marked the debut of new vocalist Hubert Tubbs...
- 1976: Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us NowAin't Nothin' Stoppin' Us NowAin't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now is an album by Tower of Power released in 1976, the band's first record on Columbia Records. Ron Beck takes up the drummers spot, after David Garibaldi exited for a second time. Also this would be the last album to feature bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia for ten...
- 1978: We Came to Play!We Came to Play!We Came to Play! is an album by Tower of Power released in 1978. It marked the debut of singer Michael Jeffries, who would stay with TOP through the mid-1980s. Also Steve Cropper , produced this album...
- 1979: Back on the StreetsBack on the Streets (Tower of Power album)Back on the Streets is an album by Tower of Power released in 1979. This was their last album with Columbia Records. The title derives from the song "Back on the Streets Again" from their debut album East Bay Grease. David Garibaldi returns to the drummer's spot a third time, only to leave after...
- 1986: TOP (Only released in Europe)
- 1987: PowerPower (Tower of Power album)Power is a studio album by Tower of Power released in 1987 on the A&M Records-distributed Cypress Records label. It was released a year earlier with additional and/or different songs in Europe under the title T.O.P....
(US Version of TOP) - 1991: Monster on a LeashMonster on a LeashMonster on a Leash is an album by Tower of Power released in 1991. It was their debut on Epic Records . This album is considered a return-to-form for the band and debuts lead vocalist Tom Bowes, thus far the only T.O.P...
- 1993: T.O.P.
- 1995: Souled OutSouled Out (Tower of Power album)Souled Out is a 1995 album by Tower of Power on Epic Records. It marked the debut of lead vocalist Brent Carter and drummer Herman Matthews. Founding member, baritone saxophone player Stephen "Doc" Kupka graces the front cover of the album. Jeff Lorber co...
- 1997: Rhythm & Business
- 1999: Dinosaur Tracks (Songs recorded between 1980–1983)
- 2003: Oakland Zone
- 2009: The Great American Soulbook
Live albums
- 1976: Live And In Living ColorLive and in Living ColorLive And In Living Color is a 1976 live album by Tower of Power and is their last album on Warner Bros. Records. It features a few of their biggest hits and some gems from their first album East Bay Grease. David Garibaldi left the band again after this album...
- 1981: DirectDirect (Tower of Power album)Direct is a 1981 live in-studio album by Tower of Power. It was their only album for the direct-to-disc record label Sheffield Lab. It also marked the return of original guitarist Willie James Fulton, not heard from since 1972's Bump City, and the last album to feature saxophonist Lenny Pickett. ...
(Studio Live) - 1997: Direct Plus (reissue of Direct with alternate takes)
- 1999: Soul Vaccination: LiveSoul Vaccination: LiveSoul Vaccination: Live is the fourth live album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power.- Track listing :# "Soul with a Capital 'S'" - 5:04# "I Like Your Style" - 3:42# "Soul Vaccination" - 4:56# "Down to the Night Club " - 3:14...
- 2008: East Bay Archive Volume 1 (recorded at K-K-K-Katy's, Boston, MA; April 1973)
- 2011: 40th Anniversary (Live)
Compilations
- 1974: Funkland
- 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 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
) (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
- Video clip from live performance of 'What is Hip' at 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival
- Tower of Power MySpace page
- Interview with Synthesis Magazine
- Horn Rock Heaven
- Tower of Power discography at deaddisc.com
- Tower of Power official website - alternate address
- Smooth Jazz Notes Interview and Photos of East Bay Soul(Catalina Island 2010)
- Smooth Jazz Notes Photos of East Bay Soul at Yoshi's, Oakland, CA 2010