TOWER OF POWER
Chester Thompson , Willie Fulton , Mick Mestek , Herman Matthews , Lenny Williams , Francis Prestia , Emilio Castillo , Danny Hoefer , Mic Gillette , Ron E. Beck , Skip Mesquite , David Mann , Jay Spell , Victor Conte , Tom Bowes , Ellis Hall , Nick Milo , Ron Beck , Lee Thornburg , Brandon Fields , Russ McKinnon , Stephen "Doc" Kupka , Lenny Pickett , Brent Carter , Hubert Tubbs , David Garibaldi , Adolfo Acosta , Edward McGee , Richard Elliot , Vito San Filippo , Bruce Conte , Greg Adams , Carmen Grillo , Rufus Miller , David Bartlett , Richard Stevens , Barry Danielian , Bill Churchville , Michael Jeffries , David Padron , Brent Byars
Formed - 1967
The renowned horn-driven funk outfit Tower of Power 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.
RECENT ALBUMS
