Tower Of Power

Description

Since its formation in Oakland, California in 1968, Tower of Power has forged a reputation as a crack band of high achieving musicians fluent in all realms of Soul, Rock and Pop music with a sophistication and punch like that of a Jazz big band. From their first album East Bay Grease on Rock impresario Bill Graham's San Francisco Records label, the interracial band became pillars and signatures of the Bay area music scene that included pioneering like-minded bands such as Sly & The Family Stone, Cold Blood, Graham Central Station and The Pointer Sisters plus rock-oriented outfits such as Santana, Betty Davis and Journey. Beginning with their sophomore release, Tower of Power came to prominence with a string of acclaimed albums on Warner Bros. Records: Bump City, Tower of Power, Back to Oakland, Urban Renewal, In the Slot and Live and in Living Color. A move to Columbia Records resulted in three more major label releases and their last top-charting hit, You Ought To Be Havin' Fun. Along with T.O.P.'s classic recordings, the 5-piece Tower of Power Horns – known for its power packed punch and fullness with two trumpets, two tenor saxophones plus a baritone sax on the bottom – became much in demand for studio sessions and live gigs. Among the hundreds of artists they have blessed with their presence are Graham Central Station, Elton John, Billy Preston, Al Kooper, Sammy Hagar, Rod Stewart, Peter Frampton, Spyro Gyra, Bonnie Raitt, The Brothers Johnson, Melissa Manchester, Smokey Robinson, Toto, Aerosmith, Neil Diamond and TV's The Simpsons, just to name a few. Most importantly, when almost all other R&B bands abandoned their horn sections as the sound of Soul music morphed into more stripped-down techno and synthesizer strains in the 1980s, Tower of Power near single-handedly carried the torch for full-on 10-piece bands, often even including a percussionist. Faithful fans flocked to their concerts and purchased their new albums that kept the real soul vibe alive f