Tower of Power - wikipedia Tower of Power This article is about the band. For the band 's eponymous album, see Tower of Power ( album ). For other uses, see Tower of Power ( disambiguation ). hide This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. ( May 2016 ) The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. ( August 2015 ) Tower of Power Tower of Power, Buffalo, New York, November 11, 2008 Background information Origin Oakland, California, United States Genres Soul, funk, R&B, jazz, jazz - funk Years active 1968 -- present Labels Warner Bros., Columbia, Epic, San Francisco, SPV Associated acts Cold Blood, Sons of Champlin, Santana, Doobie Brothers, Cat Stevens, Lenny Williams Website www.towerofpower.com Members Emilio Castillo Stephen ' Doc ' Kupka Francis ' Rocco ' Prestia David Garibaldi Roger Smith Sal Cracchiolo Adolfo Acosta Marcus Scott Tom Politzer Jerry Cortez Past members see past members Tower of Power is an American R&B - based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the most well - known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. They have landed a total of eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with highest - charting songs include `` You 're Still a Young Man '', `` So Very Hard to Go '', `` What Is Hip ? '', and `` Do n't Change Horses ( in the Middle of a Stream ) ''. Contents 1 History 2 Collaborations 3 Band members 3.1 Current members 3.2 Past members 4 Discography 4.1 Studio albums 4.2 Live albums 4.3 Compilations 4.4 Singles 4.5 Videos and DVDs 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History In the summer of 1968, tenor saxophonist / vocalist Emilio Castillo met Stephen `` Doc '' Kupka, who played baritone sax. Castillo had played in several bands, but Castillo 's father told his son to `` hire that guy '' after a home audition. Within months the group, then known as The Motowns, began playing various gigs around Oakland and Berkeley, their soul sound relating to both minority and rebellious listeners. Castillo wanted to play Bill Graham 's Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, but he realized he would never get in with a name like The Motowns. The band agreed on Tower of Power and the name stuck. By 1970, the now renamed Tower of Power -- now including trumpet / arranger Greg Adams, first trumpet Mic Gillette, first saxophone Skip Mesquite, Francis `` Rocco '' Prestia on bass, Willie Fulton on guitar, and drummer David Garibaldi -- signed a recording contract with Bill Graham 's San Francisco Records and released their first album, East Bay Grease. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on this debut album. The group was first introduced to the San Francisco Bay area by radio station KSAN, which played a variety of artists such as Cold Blood, Eric Mercury and Marvin Gaye. The single `` Sparkling in the Sand '' received airplay on the Bay Area soul station KDIA. Augmented by percussionist / conga / bongo player Brent Byars, Tower of Power was released from their San Francisco label contract and moved to Warner Bros. Records. With Rick Stevens now replacing Rufus Miller as lead singer, 1972 's Bump City gave the band their first national exposure. This album included the hit single `` You 're Still a Young Man '', which peaked at # 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Stevens ' pinnacle vocal performance before leaving the band. Emilio Castillo, who, along with Stephen Kupka, co-wrote `` You 're Still a Young Man, '' told Songfacts that the song was based on a true story concerning a former girlfriend who was six years older. The single `` Down to the Nightclub '' received heavy airplay on West Coast FM stations and several AM stations. Tower of Power, released in the spring of 1973, was the third album for the band. It featured Lenny Williams on lead vocals and Lenny Pickett on lead tenor saxophone. Bruce Conte replaced guitarist Willie Fulton and keyboardist Chester Thompson also joined the band during the recording of the album. This was the group 's most successful album. It peaked at # 15 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and was RIAA certified as a gold record ( for sales in excess of 500,000 copies ). The album also spawned their most - successful single `` So Very Hard to Go ''. Although the single peaked at # 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, it landed in the Top 10 on the surveys of many West Coast Top 40 radio stations, hitting # 1 on many of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, `` This Time It 's Real '' and `` What Is Hip ? '' 1974 's Back to Oakland spawned another hit, `` Do n't Change Horses ( in the Middle of a Stream ) '', that reached # 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and `` Time Will Tell '', which charted at # 69. The funk - jazz classic instrumental `` Squib Cakes '' also came from this album. On Urban Renewal ( 1974 ), the band moved more toward funk than soul ; however, they continued recording ballads as well. Williams left the band in late 1974, and was replaced as vocalist by Hubert Tubbs. Though the band remained popular, their days of chart radio airplay declined. During the late 1970s they briefly tried recording disco - sounding material. Leader Emilio Castillo said in an interview that the band 's brief foray into quasi-disco was at the request of Columbia Records, who had the band under contract at the time. On January 12, 2017, long - time drummer, David Garibaldi, along with a bass player, Marc Van Wageningen, were hit by a train as they walked across tracks before a performance in Oakland. They both survived the accident. According to their manager, Jeremy Westby, they were both `` responsive and being treated at a local hospital ''. They have both since returned to the active lineup. Collaborations The Tower of Power 's horn section has appeared on a number of other artists ' recordings such as ; Otis Redding, Aaron Neville, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, David Sanborn, Elton John, Huey Lewis, Little Feat, Heart, Michelle Shocked, Paula Abdul and Santana. Other performers that have been supported by the Tower of Power 's horn section include electric slap bass guitarist Larry Graham 's Graham Central Station, The Monkees, Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana, Journey, Elkie Brooks, Cat Stevens ( on his Foreigner Suite ), Luis Miguel, Linda Lewis, rad. ( Rose Ann Dimalanta ), Jermaine Jackson, John Lee Hooker, Helen Reddy, Rufus, Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship, Mickey Hart, Heart, Damn Yankees, Frankie Valli, Spyro Gyra, KMFDM, Lyle Lovett, Poison, Phish, Toto, Pharoahe Monch, Brothers Johnson, and Sam The Band, among many other acts. The song `` So Very Hard To Go '' was featured in the soundtrack of the 2002 film City of God, as well as Will Ferrell 's Semi-Pro. Band members Current members Emilio Castillo - tenor and alto saxophones, backing and occasional lead vocals Stephen ' Doc ' Kupka - baritone saxophone, backing vocals, oboe Francis ' Rocco ' Prestia - bass guitar David Garibaldi - drums, occasional backing vocals, percussion Roger Smith - keyboards, backing vocals Sal Cracchiolo - trumpet Adolfo Acosta - trumpet, flugelhorn Marcus Scott - lead vocals Tom Politzer - tenor saxophone Jerry Cortez - guitar, backing vocals Past members Tower of Power still tours extensively today, although there have been many changes in personnel over the years. At least 60 musicians have toured or recorded with the band over their 50 year existence. These musicians include current Saturday Night Live musical director / saxophonist Lenny Pickett, David Garibaldi on drums, Francis `` Rocco '' Prestia on bass, organ master Chester Thompson, saxophonists Richard Elliot and Euge Groove, and guitarist Bruce Conte. Victor Conte is Bruce Conte 's cousin and he played bass guitar in the band from 1977 until 1979. Victor Conte went on to create the former nutritional supplement company Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative ( BALCO ) which was closed in 2003 after a sports drug scandal. Victor Conte was replaced in the band by Vito San Filippo ( later of the Joe Cocker band ). Former lead vocalist Rick Stevens ( real name Donald Stevenson ) was sentenced to life in prison on three counts of first - degree murder relating to a botched drug deal, crimes committed after leaving the band. Stevens was paroled on July 20, 2012 after 36 years in prison. He died September 5, 2017 at age 77 after a battle with cancer. Bruce Conte joined the band as lead guitar in 1979 and rejoined in the 1990s, and has had an on again / off again relationship with the membership in the band. In 2012 Bruce Conte announced he was battling leukemia. Veteran guitarist Jeff Tamelier ( on again / off again since 1997 ), Mark Harper ( 2007 until 2009 ), and Jerry Cortez ( 2010 until now ) have been the guitarist for the band. Greg Adams - trumpet, backing vocals, flugelhorn, French horn, piano, percussion Ken Balzell - trumpet David Bartlett - drums Ron E. Beck - drums, backing vocals, percussion Michael Bogart - trumpet, valve trombone Tom Bowes - lead vocals Larry Braggs - lead vocals Michael Bryant - trumpet, backing vocals Brent Byars - percussion, backing vocals Brent Carter - lead and backing vocals Mike Cichowicz - Trumpet Bill Churchville - trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone Al Chez - trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals Bruce Conte - guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals Victor Conte - bass John Creech - alto, tenor, baritone sax Barry Danielian - trumpet, flugelhorn Richard Elliot - alto and tenor saxophones, lyricon Brandon Fields - saxophones Willie Fulton - guitars, backing and occasional lead vocals Mic Gillette - trumpet, backing vocals, tenor and bass trombones, flugelhorn, baritone horn Carmen Grillo - guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals Steven Grove - alto and tenor saxophones Ellis Hall Jr. - lead vocals, keyboards, guitar Mark Harper Danny Hoefer - guitar Derick Hughes - lead vocals Michael Jeffries ( singer ), lead and backing vocals Lenny Lee Goldsmith Louie King David Mann - tenor saxophone Herman Matthews - drums, percussion Dave Mathews William Edward McGee - lead vocals Jesse McGuire - trumpet Russ McKinnon - drums, percussion Mick Mestek - drums Skip Mesquite - tenor saxophone, backing and occasional lead vocals, flute Rufus Miller - lead vocals Nick Milo - keyboards, backing vocals David Padron - trumpet Paul Perez - saxophone Lenny Pickett - tenor, soprano, alto and bass saxophones ; backing vocals, alto and bass clarinets ; alto, tenor and piccolo flutes ; lyricon Mark Russo - alto saxophone Vito San Filippo - bass, backing vocals Mark Sanders Rey Carr - clarinet John Scarpulla - tenor saxophone. arranging Jay Spell - acoustic piano Norbert Stachel - tenor and alto saxophones, flute, percussion, arranging Rick Stevens - lead and backing vocals Jeff Tamelier - guitar Chester Thompson - organ, backing vocals, electric and acoustic pianos, clavinet, bass pedals Lee Thornburg - trumpet, backing and occasional lead vocals, flugelhorn Hubert Tubbs - lead vocals Bobby Vega - bass guitar Rick Waychesko - trumpet Lenny Williams - lead vocals Discography Studio albums 1970 : East Bay Grease 1972 : Bump City 1973 : Tower of Power 1974 : Back to Oakland 1975 : Urban Renewal 1975 : In the Slot 1976 : Ai n't Nothin ' Stoppin ' Us Now 1978 : We Came to Play ! 1979 : Back on the Streets 1986 : TOP ( Only released in Europe ) 1987 : Power ( US Version of TOP ) 1991 : Monster on a Leash 1993 : T.O.P. 1995 : Souled Out 1997 : Rhythm & Business 1999 : Dinosaur Tracks ( Songs recorded between 1980 -- 1983 ) 2003 : Oakland Zone 2009 : The Great American Soulbook 2018 : Soul Side of Town Live albums 1976 : Live And In Living Color 1981 : Direct ( Studio Live ) 1997 : Direct Plus ( reissue of Direct with alternate takes ) 1999 : Soul Vaccination : Live 2008 : East Bay Archive Volume 1 ( recorded at K-K-K - Katy 's, Boston, MA ; April 1973 ) 2011 : 40th Anniversary ( Live ) 2014 : Hipper Than Hip ( recorded 1974 ) Compilations 1974 : Funkland 1999 : What is Hip ? : The Tower of Power Anthology 2001 : Tower of Power : The Very Best of Tower of Power, The Warner Years 2002 : Soul With a Capital `` S '' : The Best of Tower of Power 2003 : Havin ' Fun 2003 : What is Hip & Other Hits Singles Year Title Chart positions Album US US R&B CAN 1971 `` Back On The Streets Again '' -- -- -- East Bay Grease 1972 `` You 're Still A Young Man '' 29 24 30 Bump City `` Down to the Nightclub '' 66 -- -- 1973 `` So Very Hard to Go '' 17 11 36 Tower of Power `` This Time It 's Real '' 65 27 -- `` What Is Hip ? '' 91 39 -- `` Time Will Tell '' 69 27 -- Back to Oakland `` Do n't Change Horses ( In The Middle Of A Stream ) '' 26 22 59 `` Only So Much Oil In The Ground '' -- 85 -- Urban Renewal `` Willing To Learn '' -- 77 -- `` You 're So Wonderful, So Marvelous '' -- 57 -- In the Slot `` Treat Me Like Your Man '' -- -- -- 1976 `` You Ought to Be Havin ' Fun '' 68 62 -- Ai n't Nothin ' Stoppin ' Us Now `` Ai n't Nothin ' Stoppin ' Us Now '' -- 95 -- 1978 `` Lovin ' You Is Gonna See Me Thru '' -- 98 -- We Came to Play ! `` We Came to Play '' -- -- -- 1979 `` Rock Baby '' -- 61 -- Back on the Streets `` In Due Time '' -- -- -- Videos and dvds 1986 : Credit ( The band 's only music video, to date ) 2003 : Tower of Power in Concert ( 1998, Live at Ohne Filter, after return of Garibaldi ) 2007 : Live from Leverkusen ( 2005 November Show ) 2011 : 40th Anniversary ( Live ) Note : Over the years, there also have been many television performances of Tower of Power aired though not released for sale. One worthy of mention took place in 1991, also part of the German TV live performance series Ohne Filter, Musik Pur, which included Tom Bowes ( lead vocals ) and the other then - current members. In 2011, Time Life released their November 10, 1973 Soul Train performance of `` What is Hip ? '' on the CD The Best of Soul Train Live. See also Lenny Williams References Jump up ^ `` Tower of Power Home ''. Tower of Power. 1968 -- 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 03. ^ Jump up to : `` Two Members of Tower of Power Hospitalized After Being Hit by Train ''. Billboard. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. ^ Jump up to : `` Tower of Power, Biography & History ''. AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. ^ Jump up to : `` Tower of Power - Chart history ''. Billboard. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Tower of Power -- Band Profile ''. towerofpower.com. Retrieved 6 September 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` TOWER OF POWER ''. Yoshi 's. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. Jump up ^ Lacy - Thompson, Tony. `` Tower Of Power Still Bringing It ''. RegardingArts.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` You 're Still a Young Man ''. Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Tower of Power : Back to Oakland ''. AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved 23 May 2016. Jump up ^ Fortunato, John ( 1996 ). `` KMFDM Ready to ' Xtort ' ''. The Aquarian Weekly. Arts Weekly, Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2010. Jump up ^ `` City of God Soundtrack ''. SoundtrackINFO. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. ^ Jump up to : Williams, Lance ; Fainaru - Wada, Mark ( 2006 ). Game of Shadows : Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports. Penguin. ISBN 110121676X. Jump up ^ Almond, Elliot ( 2013 - 09 - 02 ). `` BALCO 's Victor Conte now realizes the errors of his past ''. The Mercury News. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. ^ Jump up to : `` After 36 Years in Prison, Tower of Power 's Rick Stevens Returns to Sing ''. NBC News. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Former Tower of Power lead singer Rick Stevens dead at 77 ''. Msn.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018. ^ Jump up to : Speer, Deborah ( 2012 - 09 - 10 ). `` Tower Of Power 's Bruce Conte Battles Leukemia ''. Pollstar. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. ^ Jump up to : `` Tower of Power Discography ''. AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Tower of Power ''. Billboard.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` Discography ''. Tower of Power. Tower of Power. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 18. Jump up ^ `` The Best of Soul Train Live - Various Artists ''. AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 29. Jump up ^ The Best of Soul Train Live ( booklet ). Time Life. 2011. External links Official website Emilio Castillo NAMM Oral History Interview ( 2005 ) Doc Kupka NAMM Oral History Interview ( 2005 ) David Garibaldi NAMM Oral History Interview ( 2013 ) Rocco Prestia NAMM Oral History Interview ( 2013 ) hide Tower of Power Emilio Castillo Stephen ' Doc ' Kupka Rocco Prestia David Garibaldi Roger Smith Lee Thornburg Adolfo Acosta Marcus Scott Tom Politzer Jerry Cortez Norbert Stachel Lenny Williams Herman Matthews Lenny Pickett Mic Gillette Michael Jeffries Victor Conte Norbert Stachel Richard Elliot Jesse McGuire Euge Groove Brandon Fields Larry Braggs Studio albums East Bay Grease ( 1970 ) Bump City ( 1972 ) Tower of Power ( 1973 ) Back to Oakland ( 1974 ) Urban Renewal ( 1975 ) In the Slot ( 1975 ) Ai n't Nothin ' Stoppin ' Us Now ( 1977 ) We Came to Play ! ( 1978 ) Back on the Streets ( 1979 ) Power ( 1987 ) Monster on a Leash ( 1991 ) T.O.P. ( 1993 ) Souled Out ( 1995 ) Notable singles `` So Very Hard to Go '' Live albums Live and in Living Color ( 1976 ) Direct ( 1981 ) Soul Vaccination : Live ( 1999 ) ISNI : 0000 0001 1011 3090 MusicBrainz : 6c4d81f8 - 8a34 - 4cda - 9a4b - 538c539b50f4 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_of_Power&oldid=846299126 '' Categories : American soul musical groups Musical groups from Oakland, California American funk musical groups Musical groups established in 1968 1968 establishments in California Musical groups from the San Francisco Bay Area Warner Bros. Records artists Columbia Records artists Epic Records artists Hidden categories : BLP articles lacking sources from May 2016 All BLP articles lacking sources NPOV disputes from August 2015 All NPOV disputes Articles with multiple maintenance issues Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Italiano Lietuvių Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Português Suomi Svenska 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 June 2018, at 20 : 25 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. 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Question: who wrote the song you're still a young man
Answer: Emilio Castillo