Lidt om det "originale" Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power er et amerikansk R&B og funk-baseret band og blæsersektion fra Oakland, Californien. Bandet har eksisteret siden 1968. Gruppen har haft en række forsangere, hvoraf den bedst kendte er Lenny Williams, der var forsanger fra begyndelsen af 1973 til slutningen af 1974, hvor gruppen også havde sin største kommercielle succes. De har haft otte sange på Billboard Hot 100; og disse inkluderer "You're Still a Young Man", "So Very Hard to Go", "What Is Hip?" og "Don't Change Horses "
Current members
- Emilio “Mimi” Castillo – tenor saxophone, backing and lead vocals (1968–present)
- Stephen “Doc” Kupka – baritone saxophone, backing vocals (1968–present)
- To be announced – drums (2023–present)
- Roger Smith – keyboards, backing vocals (1998–present)
- Adolfo Acosta – trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (2000–present)
- Tom E. Politzer – tenor, alto and baritone saxophones, clarinet, flute, backing vocals (2002–present)
- Jerry Cortez – guitar, sitar, backing vocals (2010–present)
- Marc van Wageningen – bass (2018–present; plus touring appearances beforehand)
- Mike Jerel – lead vocals, occasional keyboards, occasional trumpet (2022–present)
- Dave Richards – trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, backing vocals (2023-present)
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [14] | US R&B [14] | US Jazz [14] | |||
| 1970 | East Bay Grease | 106 | – | – | |
| 1972 | Bump City | 85 | 16 | – | |
| 1973 | Tower of Power | 15 | 11 | – |
|
| 1974 | Back to Oakland | 26 | 13 | – | |
| 1975 | Urban Renewal | 22 | 19 | – | |
| In the Slot | 67 | 29 | – | ||
| 1976 | Ain’t Nothin’ Stoppin’ Us Now | 42 | 25 | – | |
| 1978 | We Came to Play! | 89 | 33 | – | |
| 1979 | Back on the Streets | 106 | 28 | – | |
| 1981 | Direct | – | – | – | |
| 1987 | Power (US version of TOP album) | – | – | – | |
| 1991 | Monster on a Leash | – | – | 19 | |
| 1993 | T.O.P. | – | 92 | – | |
| 1995 | Souled Out | – | – | 7 | |
| 1997 | Rhythm & Business | – | – | – | |
| 1999 | Dinosaur Tracks (recorded 1980–1983) | – | – | – | |
| 2003 | Oakland Zone | – | – | – | |
| 2009 | The Great American Soulbook | – | – | 3 | |
| 2018 | Soul Side of Town | – | – | – | |
| 2020 | Step Up[15] | – | – | – | |
| “–” denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [14] | US R&B [14] | US Jazz [14] | |||
| 1976 | Live and in Living Color | 99 | 29 | – | |
| 1999 | Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live | – | – | 8 | |
| 2008 | The East Bay Archive Volume 1 (recorded April 1973 at K-K-K-Katy’s, Boston, MA) | – | – | – | |
| 2011 | 40th Anniversary: The Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco | – | – | 6 | |
| 2013 | Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (Live on the Air & In the Studio 1974)[15] | – | – | – | |
| 2021 | 50 Years of Funk & Soul – Live at the Fox Theater Oakland CA – June 2018 | – | – | – | |
| “–” denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||