Tower of Power‘s musical odyssey actually began in 1968 when Emilio Castillo met Stephen “Doc” Kupka. When Doc auditioned during a 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.
Many other bands came out of the San Francisco Bay area in the late ’60s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Big Brother, Journey, Cold Blood and others all helped to define the “San Francisco Sound” but Tower of Power has always claimed Oakland, California as their hometown. Playing area venues and making a name for themselves, Tower of Power’s big break was just around the corner....
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Tower of Power‘s musical odyssey actually began in 1968 when Emilio Castillo met Stephen “Doc” Kupka. When Doc auditioned during a 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.
Many other bands came out of the San Francisco Bay area in the late ’60s. Bands like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Big Brother, Journey, Cold Blood and others all helped to define the “San Francisco Sound” but Tower of Power has always claimed Oakland, California as their hometown. Playing area venues and making a name for themselves, Tower of Power’s big break was just around the corner.
After 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. All of the compositions were original tunes written by Castillo and Kupka. 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. 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.
Since the beginning of the band, Tower of Power has never stopped touring and recording. The band is always in demand and never fails to entertain and amaze their fans. 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.
Tower celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008 at a very special reunion show at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. 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. The show was filmed and is available on DVD. Of the ten current members, Emilio Castillo, Rocco Prestia, Stephen Kupka and David Garibaldi are four of the band’s founding members. Their dedication to the music, their creative writing and their original vision still guides Tower of Power.
Each year Tower of Power tours the United States, Japan and Europe, playing to sold out crowds all over the world. Recent releases include their 40th Anniversary Concert Blu Ray recorded at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco and Hipper Than Hip a remstered gem that was tucked away in the Warner Brothers vault since 1974. Tower has never been busier or more in demand. New generations of fans come to see the band perform as their timeless music continues to excite fans of all ages.
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