Tower Of Power “50th Anniversary” Tour

For more than 50 years, the legends of soul, Tower Of Power, have delivered their own brand of funky rhythms and driving grooves to fans across the world. With a soaring horn section, soulful vocals, and inarguably one of the tightest rhythm sections in the business, the funk-soul outfit is renowned as a must-see act. Combining R&B classics with jazzy hits, Tower Of Power performs a spectacular concert for intergenerational music lovers. More than four decades ago the group dropped the hit “What Is Hip?” And today, they still have the answer.

For 50 years, Tower Of Power has delivered the best in R&B music. But, as group co-founder Emilio Castillo says, they could have had a much different name. “We were a soul band called The Motowns,” Castillo recalls. “Rocco Prestia was the bass player, I was in there, and my brother was the drummer. I met Doc Kupka at the Alameda County Fair back in 1968 and gave him an audition. He came into the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower Of Power.” The reason for band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind. “We wanted to get into the Fillmore Auditorium and with a name like the Motown’s, dressed in suits with razor cuts, we knew we’d never get in there. We grew our hair long, and started to be hippies, and changed our name. Doc then suggested to me that we should start writing our own songs. Our first song was “You’re Still a Young Man.”

Tower Of Power’s first record, East Bay Grease, helped to define the East Bay sound and did well enough to warrant a recording contract with Warner Brothers. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard’s R&B Albums charts, and netted them the hits “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Down to the Nightclub.” The decade of the 1970s was a boom period for the group, who hit with radio classics like “So Very Hard To Go” and “What Is Hip?” and the band has continued to tour and record over the years. Castillo says the band’s love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.

Tower Of Power consistently plays over 200 nights a year, touring the world and in 2018 Tower Of Power will be on the road – a lot – celebrating their 50th Anniversary. Tower Of Power will deliver their funky sound to a “souled-out” crowd in this can’t-miss, mesmerizing, soul-stirring concert celebrating 50 years of groove. Experience an intimate live look at the iconic band that spawned such hits as “You’re Still a Young Man,” What Is Hip,” “Soul with a Capital ‘S’” and “Diggin’ on James Brown.”