Tower of Power
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Tower of Power, the renowned horn-driven funk outfit, has been
issuing albums and touring the world steadily since the early '70s, in addition
to backing up countless other musicians. The group's leader since the beginning
has always been tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo, who was born in Detroit, but
opted to pursue his musical dreams in Oakland, CA. It was in Oakland that
Castillo put together a group called the Motowns, which as its name suggested,
specialized in '60s-era soul. Castillo teamed up with a baritone sax player (and
Motowns fan) Stephen "Doc" Kupka, and soon the Motowns had transformed into
Tower of Power (one of the first tunes the duo penned together was "You're Still
a Young Man," which would eventually go on to be one of the TOP's signature
compositions).
Tower of Power played regularly in the Bay Area throughout the late '60s, as its
lineup often swelled up to ten members, including such other mainstays as Greg
Adams on trumpet and vocals and Rocco Prestia on bass. By 1970, the funk outfit
had inked a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records,
resulting in the group's debut the same year, East Bay Grease, which failed to
make an impression on the charts as TOP was still trying to find their own
sound.
But it all came together quickly for Tower of Power, as 1972's Bump City would
touch off a string of classic hit releases, including 1973's self-titled release
(which included another one of the group's most enduring tunes, "What Is Hip?"),
1974's Back to Oakland, plus 1975's Urban Renewal and In the Slot. While Tower
of Power remained a must-see live act, the quality of their subsequent records
became erratic, resulting in some admirable releases (Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us
Now, Live and in Living Color) and several uninspired albums that are best
skipped over (We Came to Play, Back on the Streets).
Despite the dip in the quality of their albums, Tower of Power remained a much
in-demand backing group for some of pop/rock's biggest names, including Elton
John, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Little Feat, David Sanborn, Michelle
Shocked, Paula Abdul, Aaron Neville, Aerosmith, Michael Bolton
, Billy Preston,
PiL, Rod Stewart, Toto, Merl Saunders, and others. Tower of Power remains very
active to this day, keeping up a brisk touring schedule and issuing such new
albums as 1999's Soul Vaccination: Live; while several compilations were issued
around the same time: Rhino's double disc What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power
Anthology (1999) and Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years (2001), plus
Epic/Legacy's Soul With a Capital "S": The Best of Tower of Power (2001).
Tower of Power were originaly known as "The Gotham City Crime Fighters", then
"The Motowns".
Tower of Power has remained active throughout the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and into
the 21st century, and is still touring in 2006. Personnel changes have been part
of the history and evolution of the band; at least 60 musicians have performed,
toured, and/or recorded with the band through the years, including Saturday
Night Live musical director Lenny Pickett, drummer David Garibaldi, bassist
Rocco Prestia, saxaphonist Richard Elliot, and bassist and BALCO founder Victor
Conte.
Tower of Power has released 15 albums over the years, the latest being 2003's
The Oakland Zone. In addition, the horn section has become well-known as a
backing horn section for other artists. The TOP horn section has appeared on
many recordings, including some made by Little Feat, the Monkees, Santana, Elton
John, John Lee Hooker, Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship, Heart, Huey Lewis and
the News, Lyle Lovett, Poison, Phish, and Aerosmith.
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