Forming in 1968 and originating in Oakland, California, USA, Tower of Power are a rhythm and blues band best known for their brass section, who have become some of the most successful and most prolific collaborators in R& B history.
Tower of Power might be responsible for some of the most fantastic sounds in soul, R&B and rock music, while never quite getting the recognition they deserve for that. They were formed out of a chance meeting between Emilio Castillo and Stephen “Doc” Kupka, the future tenor and baritone saxophonists of the band, respectively.
The band were originally put together under the name The Motowns. However, after Castillo realized he would never get his band headlining San Francisco’s iconic Fillmore Auditorium with that name, they soon switched it to Tower Of Power. A name literally picked from a list of weird band names because he thought it described them the best.
With the new name in place and a solid line up found, the band were finally on their way. They signed to Billy Graham’s San Francisco Records in 1970 and released their debut record “East Bay Grease” soon afterwards. However it wasn’t until 1972 and a new lead vocalist in the form of Rick Stevens, that the band started getting honest to goodness hits in the form of “So Very Hard To Go” and “What Is Hip?”.
However, what made Tower of Power stand out was their horn section, and they went on to work with the likes of Aerosmith, Heart, Grateful Dead and John Lee Hooker in their own right while the band were still at the top of their game. The band still tour to this day and have still got it in spades. They’re an indispensable part of music’s history, and every true music fan would do well to see them as soon as possible.
Cass McCombs
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