Tower Of Power – 58 Years Of Funk & Soul

For 58 years, Tower of Power has stood for top-notch funk and soul music. “We were a soul band called The Motowns,” recalls Emilio Castillo. “Rocco was the bassist, I was in it, and my brother was the drummer. In 1968, I met ‘Doc’ Kupka and invited him to audition. He joined the band, and eventually, we changed our name to Tower of Power.” The reason for the name change was that the band had a specific goal in mind. They desperately wanted to perform at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium, something that would have been impossible with a name like The Motowns and the corresponding stage attire of a soul cover band during the Love Revolution of the hippie movement. Tower of Power grew their hair long and began writing their own songs, which would eventually become their debut album.

“East Bay Grease” was released in 1970 and defined their sound. The album’s success landed them a contract with Warner Brothers. “Bump City,” their debut album for the label in 1972, was a massive hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B album charts and included hits like “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Down to the Nightclub.” Throughout the rest of the 1970s, the band experienced a real boom thanks to radio successes like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?” They continued recording albums and touring the world. According to Castillo, their love for the stage is as strong today as it was in 1968.

In 2018, Tower of Power returned to Oakland to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Their infectious grooves and exuberant party atmosphere at their shows have been a reliable balm for the soul throughout their fifty-year existence, but the release of “50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater” couldn’t have come at a better time, propelling Tower of Power to another career peak.

The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest ambitions of the early years, touring the world, performing their own hits, and supporting legendary artists such as Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. In doing so, they’ve defined an “Oakland Soul” sound that’s as unmistakable as the sound of Castillo’s hometown Detroit, as well as inspirations from Memphis and Philadelphia.

The future of Tower of Power remains dynamic and energetic, and that’s great news for their fans worldwide who crave the band’s signature groove—the kind only Tower of Power can create!