The show was filmed and is available on DVD. In addition to the ten current members of the band, another 20 musicians and vocalists that at one time held a position with the band appeared with them. Tower celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008 at a very special reunion show at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.
Tower is truly blessed to have a dedicated following that often travels to see the band, and in many cases fans will plan their vacation or work schedule around an appearance of TOP. Always in demand, the band never fails to entertain and amaze their fans. Since the beginning, Tower of Power has never stopped touring and recording. Over the years, the Tower of Power Horns have recorded with hundreds of artists as diverse as Aerosmith, Elton John, Little Feat, Phish, Santana, Heart, and many others, forever infusing the radio airwaves with Tower’s musical DNA. Their next album, “Bump City,” was recorded on the Warner Brothers label, and this led to a string of hits and memorable albums that include many of the songs that TOP fans come out in force to hear, even to this day. All of the compositions were original tunes written by Castillo and Kupka.
Playing area venues and making a name for themselves, Tower of Power's big break was just around the corner.Īfter playing at a Tuesday night audition at the Fillmore in 1970, Tower was signed to Bill Graham’s San Francisco records and their first album, “East Bay Grease,” was recorded. Bands like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Big Brother, Journey, Cold Blood and others all helped to define the "San Francisco Sound." Tower of Power has always claimed Oakland, California as their hometown. Many other bands came out of the San Francisco Bay area in the late 60's. When Doc auditioned during a band rehearsal at Emilio's house, Emilio's father called him into the kitchen and offered the following advice: "Hire that guy, he's got something." Doc and his signature baritone sax sound were now in the band, and on August 13, 1968, Tower of Power, as we know them today, began playing gigs, and soon became very well known in the area. Management reserves all rights.Tower's musical odyssey actually began in 1968 when Emilio Castillo met Stephen "Doc" Kupka in July of that year. Entertainment subject to change without prior notice. Ticket price subject to Live Entertainment Tax (LET) and fees where applicable. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21+. General Admission seating is first-come, first-serve.ĭoors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm.Īll ages show. I told the guys that I was leaving for the holidays, and if nothing happened with this audition, I wasn’t coming back.”įortunately, he did, and the rest as they say, is history. We wrote the songs for East Bay Grease, and by November, we were at the end of our rope. Then, my parents moved to Detroit, and I was on my own, broke and hungry, and all I did was rehearse. One night, the ABC came in, and caught the trumpet player drinking, and the next thing we knew, a notice was out across the Bay Area that if they hired us again, clubs would lose their liquor license. “We had been playing nightclubs, and we had gotten busted for being underage. The Fillmore was a major goal, which came along at the right time. Doc then suggested that we start writing our own songs.”
We grew our hair long, and started to be hippies, and changed our name. “We wanted to get into the Fillmore Auditorium and with a name like the Motowns, dressed in suits with razor cuts, we knew we’d never get in there. 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. I met “Doc” Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. “Rocco was the bass player, I was in there, and my brother was the drummer. Celebrating 55 years, Tower of Power performs live inside Veil Pavilion on Saturday, January 28.įor over 50 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music.“We were a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo.
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