So, it’s now more than 50 years since the first T.O.P. to ask them to go on second, for the next show of the night, as the BBB didn’t want to follow such a hot performance as they had to in the first show! And there were some real A-listers in that BBB line-up too. were tearing the venue a new one, with a blistering opening set.Īfter the BBB had finished their set, word was sent to T.O.P. did their first set, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and others from the BBB stood next to me and were commenting that T.O.P. I stood side stage taking photographs and while T.O.P. played a double header with the original line-up of the Blues Brothers Band at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where they did two shows in one night. Speaking to me from his Arizona home during a rare break from the road, I reminded Emilio of the time T.O.P. Their leader, main songwriter (with Stephen “Doc” Kupka), co-lead singer and tenor sax man. Who better to trace the band’s history for me than the man to blame for creating this soul and funk monster band. Have photographed them a few times and met them backstage too, but never done an interview with any of them, until now. Got most of their releases and seen them maybe 10 times across the years. The chap in the shop put it on for me, and I was hooked from that very second. “Don’t Change Horses In The Middle Of The Stream”. I wrote that down and put that scrap of paper away.Ī few months later, digging about in my favourite second hand record store in Leicester, I come across a 1974 vinyl LP called “Back To Oakland,” by Tower of Power – and the second cut in leapt out at me. By a band I had not heard of called…Tower Of Power. That song was called “Don’t Change Horses In The Middle Of The Stream”. Bored, I was reading a music ‘paper in the corridor when they fired out this amazing song, with a deep groove and the horn section took my head off. My Step-Dad was a pro trumpet player, and he was in a big band formed by a visiting US band leader, and I went along to a rehearsal one foggy winter’s night in a freezing cold school hall. This band are my personal all-time favourites, since I discovered their music in the 70s, when I was a teenager. My job as a music journalist and photographer sometimes brings me into contact with an artist or a band who I dig. I will declare an interest at this juncture. Currently promoting their fabulous new album “Soul Side Of The Street”, released in June last year (2018). They will also be playing the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam in July. Tower Of Power are celebrating 50 years on their current tour, which calls in to the UK for just three shows: Birmingham Town Hall 28 th May, Manchester 02 Ritz 29 th May and London’s Royal Albert Hall, 30 th May 2019. Talking about his 20 year addiction to heroin, cocaine and booze – losing millions of dollars in the process, and almost his life… Also joining the lineup were organist/keyboardist Chester Thompson and guitarist Bruce Conte, who replaced original guitarist Willie James Fulton.Īll songs written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka except when noted.Tower of Power bandleader Emilio Castillo held nothing back during a brutally honest interview with Music Republic Magazine editor Simon Redley. Tower of Power was also the first Tower of Power album to feature future Saturday Night Live band leader Lenny Pickett, who was the youngest member of the band at the time, replacing original lead sax player Skip Mesquite. It marked the debut of Lenny Williams being the lead vocalist (though Williams had a solo career prior to joining T.O.P., plus he co-penned the song "You Strike My Main Nerve" from the previous album Bump City). Two other singles from the album also charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?". 17 during the week of Jon the Billboard Hot 100. The album spawned their most successful single, " So Very Hard to Go". 15 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in 1973 and received a gold record award for sales in excess of 500,000. This is their most successful album to date, which was released in May 1973. Tower of Power is the third album release for the Oakland-based band, Tower of Power.
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