Editing Tower of Power (section)

==History==
In the summer of 1968, tenor saxophonist/vocalist [[Emilio Castillo]] met Stephen "Doc" Kupka, who played baritone sax. Castillo had played in several bands, and hired Kupka after a home audition on the advice of his father.<ref name="band profile">{{cite web|title=Tower of Power–Band Profile|url=http://www.towerofpower.com/the-band/index.html|website=towerofpower.com|access-date=6 September 2015}}</ref> Within months the group, then known as '''The Motowns''', began playing various gigs around [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], attracting audiences from minority and counterculture communities.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.yoshis.com/event/1132025-tower-power-oakland/|title=TOWER OF POWER|website=Yoshi's|language=en-US|access-date=2017-06-29}}</ref>

In order to play [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]]'s [[The Fillmore|Fillmore Auditorium]] in San Francisco, the band changed its name to Tower of Power, which then stuck.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://regardingarts.com/music/tower2014.html|title=Tower Of Power Still Bringing It|website=RegardingArts.com|last1=Lacy-Thompson|first1=Tony|access-date=11 August 2014}}</ref>

By 1970, the renamed band—now including [[trumpet]]/arranger Greg Adams, first trumpet [[Mic Gillette]], first saxophone Skip Mesquite, [[Rocco Prestia|Francis "Rocco" Prestia]] on bass, Willie Fulton on guitar, and drummer [[David Garibaldi (musician)|David Garibaldi]]—signed a recording contract with Bill Graham's [[San Francisco Records]] and released their first album, ''[[East Bay Grease]]''. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on this debut album.<ref name=":2" /> The group was first introduced to the San Francisco Bay area by radio station [[KYLD#KSAN (1968 to 1980)|KSAN]], which played a variety of artists such as [[Cold Blood (band)|Cold Blood]], [[Eric Mercury]], and [[Marvin Gaye]].

Augmented by percussionist/conga/bongo player Brent Byars, Tower of Power was released from their San Francisco label contract and moved to [[Warner Bros. Records]]. Rick Stevens replaced Rufus Miller as lead singer on 1972's ''[[Bump City]],'' which gave the band their first national exposure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=T&bk=70|title=Robert Christgau: CG Book '70s: T|website=Robertchristgau.com}}</ref> This album included the hit single "You're Still a Young Man", which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Stevens' pinnacle vocal performance before leaving the band.<ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/430315/tower-of-power/chart|title=Tower of Power - Chart history|magazine=Billboard|language=en|access-date=2017-06-29}}</ref> Emilio Castillo, who co-wrote the tune with Stephen Kupka, told Songfacts that the song was based on a true story about him and a former girlfriend who was six years his senior.<ref name="songfacts">{{cite web | url = http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3837 | title = You're Still a Young Man | work = Songfacts.com | access-date = 2009-05-27}}</ref>

''Tower of Power'', released in the spring of 1973, was the third album for the band. It featured soul singer [[Lenny Williams]] on lead vocals and [[Lenny Pickett]] on lead tenor saxophone. [[Bruce Conte]] replaced guitarist Willie Fulton and keyboardist Chester D.Thompson also joined the band during the recording of the album. The album spawned their most-successful single "[[So Very Hard to Go]]". Although the single peaked at #17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100,<ref name=":3" /> it was included in the Top 10 in the surveys of many West Coast Top 40 radio stations, placed #1 on several of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?"<ref name=":2" />

1974's ''[[Back to Oakland]]'' spawned the hit single "Don't Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)", which reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Time Will Tell", which charted at #69.<ref name=":3" /> The funk-jazz instrumental "Squib Cakes" also came from this album.<ref name="Allmusic Back to Oakland">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-oakland-mw0000652809|title=Tower of Power: Back to Oakland|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref>

On ''Urban Renewal'' (1974), the band moved more toward [[funk]] than soul; however, they continued recording ballads as well. Williams left the band in late 1974, and was replaced as vocalist by [[Hubert Tubbs]]. The band's airplay on chart radio declined. During the late 1970s they briefly tried recording disco-sounding material.<ref name=":2" />

On January 12, 2017, long-time drummer David Garibaldi and bassist Marc Van Wageningen were hit by a train as they walked across tracks before a performance in Oakland.<ref name=":0" /> They both survived the accident. According to their manager, Jeremy Westby, they were both "responsive and being treated at a local hospital".<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7655109/tower-of-power-hospital-hit-train|title=Two Members of Tower of Power Hospitalized After Being Hit by Train|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2017-06-29}}</ref> They fully recovered and returned to the active lineup later that year.