When Emilio Castillo and Tower of Power make their anticipated appearance at the Birchmere Music Hall in suburban Washington, DC, the 10-member West Coast band will be celebrating their 46th year in existence.
For tenor saxophonist and group founder Castillo, the band represents a fusion of his original Detroit roots and eventual eclectic multi-faceted sounds of San Franscisco-Oakland grooves – a sound that would morph into one of the most successful funk and soul horn bands of the 1970s.
In a recent interview from his Phoenix area home, Castillo reflected on the evolution of his band’s meteoric rise from the East Bay origins of Northern California (Oakland) to national hit recording status with subsequent appearances on national acclaimed TV shows like Soul Train, Midnight Special and Don Kirshner’s Rock Special.
“It all started with my parents,” said Castillo. “They both really loved music. My father was a bar tender and always heard lots of bands and music. He turned me onto a lot of different type of music. My father was Mexican from Laraedo, Texas and my mother is Greek. She’s from Detroit. The Platters were huge in my household.”
Ultimately, Castillo’s father would move the family from the Motor City to find more economic stability in Oakland.
“I was only 11 when we moved. Then, my father started telling me about this guy named Sly Stone. He was a local deejay and very popular. I was about 15 when I formed my first band with my brother on drums. At that time, I got a chance to see Sly. He was wearing an outfit sort of like Sherlock Holmes and Larry Graham was singing “Georgia.”
“My father was impressed with them and wanted us to see these guys. We knew they were special and were headed to stardom,” said Castillo.
He proudly notes that the first illiterations of TOP were quite raw, but a determined group of musicians. “We weren’t a bunch of guys who were formally trained or anything of that nature. Our success came from working hard. We gigged and got tight. We had the band first, then we got tight. That’s how it happened. I’m not one of those trained guys from some music university. Nope. I’m a bandleader. It’s always been about the band, for me. I took private lessons, took guitar lessons – but, it’s mostly been hands-on in the garage,” said Castillo. His first band’s name was The Roadrunners. Later, they became the Extension Five and played teen clubs in the Bay Area. “My mother was our manager,” he said.
Later, the band was renamed Bat Man & The Robins and later, The Gotham City Crime Fighters. “We were the hottest band in the Bay Area,” he said. “I was 16 and my brother, Jack (Castillo), was 10-months older.”
Original TOP trumpeter Mic Gillette joined the band just before saxman Stephen “Doc” Kupta heard the group at the Alameda County Fair and approached Castillo. “Doc didn’t look the part. He looked rather studious — he said he liked our sound, but said our horns didn’t have enough bottom. He said he played baritone sax. After hearing him play one time, I knew he was the guy. My dad said, ‘hire him. That guy has got something special.’ So, I hired him immediately,” reflected Castillo.
After another band-name change to The Motowns, the budding young artists started making its mark as a solid bluesy soul band in the competitive Oakland-San Francisco region. The band now consisted of three horns with Castillo as lead singer. Castillo says he uses the date of Aug. 14, 1968 as the pivotal day when Tower of Power was officially formed. “That’s when Doc joined the group and everything started to come together,” he said.
Eventually other Bay Area musicians would join the fold, such as bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia, drummer David Garibaldi, guitarist Bruce Conte, vocalists Rick Stevens and Lenny Williams; the late Brent Byars (percussion); organist Chester “CT” Thompson, Greg Adams, trumpet, trumpet/trombonist, Gillette; and saxmen Kupta and Castillo.
National success wasn’t instantaneous, said Castillo. He recalled a Boston appearance at a soul music venue called Sugar Shack, when a Black promoter expected a Black band and cancelled TOP’s booked performance upon noting that the band was mostly comprised of White guys.
Castillo laughs about the experience now, but didn’t find it funny then. He has fond memories of an early 1970s Soul Train TV appearance. “We almost cancelled, because Don (Cornelius) and their producers wanted us to lip-synch. We told them if we didn’t play live we weren’t doing the show. Needless to say, we were the first group to ever do Soul Train live. Later, James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Al Green performed live, he said. “They treated us well on Soul Train.” Castillo admitted their Soul Train appearance was ground-breaking at the time, considering it was rare for white acts to appear on the popular, weekly soul music dance show. Later Average White Band and Elton John performed on the show. “Don (Cornelius) treated us nice. He didn’t say much to us, but I recall him being a very nice man,” recalled Castillo.
The release of the 1972 hit “You’re Still A Young Man,” led by vocalist Rick Stevens, put the group on the national map, said Castillo. Also contributing to their star power was their knack to produce hit-filled albums, above and beyond one or two hit singles. Popular LPs included Warner Brothers releases like ‘Bump City’ (1972), featuring “Down to the Nightclub” and “You’re Still a Young Man”; ‘Tower of Power’ (1973), “What is Hip,” “Clever Girl,” “So Very Hard to Go” and “This Time It’s Real”; Back to Oakland (1974) “Oakland Stroke” and “Squib Cakes”; Urban Renewal (1975) “Only So Much Oil (in the ground); “Willing to Learn,” “Walking Up Hip Street” and “Maybe It’ll Rub Off.”
Castillo’s confirmed that TOP’s star power has resulted from it’s powerfully-tight, five-piece horn section which often mimicks big-band arrangements in the nature of Count
Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s stylistic statements. The group’s affiliation with James Brown’s syncopated horn arrangements and funky rhythm arrangements also influenced their groove, Castillo proudly admitted.
Of the ten current members, Castillo, Prestia, Kupka and David Garibaldi are four of the band’s original members. Unfortunately, Prestia is currently unable to tour with the band confirmed Castillo. He’s currently undergoing treatments to ward off a kidney ailment, and is presently on a list to receive a kidney, said Castillo. “He’s in our prayers, but it’s best for him to come off the road and get well,” said the bandleader.
Each year Tower of Power tours the U.S., 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 remastered 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.
Their affinity for James Brown’s brand of funk resulted in a 1995 hit aptly called “(I Still Be) Diggin On James Brown.”
Castillo said the group was initially apprehensive about performing the Doc Kupka-penned tribute composition to the Godfather of Soul.
“We actually toured with James on a few occasions in the 1990s. And on several occasions we had a chance to hangout with his former bandsmen like Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley and Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis. “We kinda thought they may not like it at first, but when James heard it, he started requesting it when he’d see us on later (gig) dates,” said Castillo.
In reference to the band’s past performances in Pittsburgh, Castillo said vividly recalls a few dates at the old Graffitti performance hall in Oakland, near Baum Boulevard in the 1980s. The group more recently played an outdoor venue called the Niagra Pavillion with Journey and the Steve Miller Band, he said.
Needless to say, at age 63, Castillo says he still enjoys fronting TOP and looks forward to the upcoming gig at the Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Va.
“After 46 years, I’m still loving my job. To me, it’s the greatest job in the world,” he said. And obvious at age 63, Castillo still feels like he’s “Still A Young Man.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Tower of Power is scheduled to perform at the Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria Va. 22305, Thursday, Sept. 25. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. For information, call 703-549-7500 or access www.birchmeremusichall.com).
