The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s admittedly modest aspirations, travelling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing some of the most legendary artists of the last 50 years – a list that includes Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. I thought, ‘Man, if I could just get to Sacramento that would be it.’ That’s literally how small my vision was.” My idols were a local band called The Spyders and they had gigged in Sacramento. “I had no vision at all,” he recalls now. It’s been very rewarding.”Ĭastillo was only 17 years old when he met Kupka and started to assemble the band that would become Tower of Power. We’ve affected a lot of people’s lives and done a lot of work that we’re very proud of. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and learned a lot along the way. “You can’t believe it? I’m the one that can’t believe it. “People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Wow man, 50 years! We can’t believe it,’” he laughs. Speaking about the upcoming Tower of Power show celebrating ‘50 Years of Funk & Soul’, Emilio Castillo says: The show directly follows the release of their high-spirited live album ‘50 Years of Funk & Soul’ last year (a momentous hometown performance as-recorded in Oakland in 2018) a record that offered a worthy reminder to the world of the Tower of Power’s timeless tunes and unbeatable musicianship. Other special guests are also confirmed to be appearing across the evening. Returning to the UK on 16th November 2022, Tower of Power will be fronted as ever by iconic bandleader and saxophonist Emilio Castillo for a show that promises ‘A Celebration of 50 Years of Funk And Soul’.Ĭastillo will be joined by the reputable modern line-up of the band, which features co-founder Stephen “Doc” Kupka on baritone sax, longtime drummer David Garibaldi, and lead vocalist Marcus Scott. And in 2022, the legendary Oakland, California R&B trailblazers will be coming to The London Palladium for a night of feelgood celebrations and all-time classics. Must be 21+.For over 50 years, TOWER OF POWER has been creating their own kind of soul and funk music. The future of Tower of Power is set out to be vigorous and dynamic, and will prove to be just that for fans around the world starved for the band’s groove just the way Tower of Power likes it! In the process they’ve defined an “ Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia. The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing legendary artists including Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. Tower’s window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit has been a balm for the soul throughout their half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theatercouldn’t have arrived at a better time. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.ĥ0 years later, in 2018, they returned to Oakland to celebrate their landmark 50th anniversary. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “ You’re Still A Young Man” and “ Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio classics like “ So Very Hard to Go” and “ What Is Hip?,” and the band continued to tour and record over the years. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind.Įast Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with Warner Brothers. I met “Doc” Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. “ Rocco was the bass player, I was there, and my brother was the drummer. “We were a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo. For over 50 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |