You simply can’t talk about horn sections in R&B and funk, without immediately talking about Tower of Power. The band has spent more than a half century proving that a great horn section can be every bit as distinctive as a great lead singer. Born in Oakland in 1968, TOP was built around tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka, whose writing partnership would become the foundation of one of the most recognizable sounds in soul, funk and jazz-funk. Kupka’s baritone sax remains, to this day, an essential piece of the group’s musical fingerprint.
The group’s first album, East Bay Grease, arrived in 1970 and announced a band that was both tight and loose in all the right ways — streetwise, muscular, with any incredible rhythm section and funky attitude. But it was with Bump City in 1972 and then Tower of Power in 1973 that the band truly broke through. Bump City featured the powerful vocals of Rick Stevens, while the follow-up album brought in new lead vocalist Lenny Williams, who gave the group its biggest pop moment with “So Very Hard to Go,” while “What Is Hip?” became something more lasting: a mission statement, a groove, and one of the defining funk records of the era.
Over the years, Tower of Power became almost as famous for its horn section’s work with others as for its own recordings, appearing with artists across soul, rock, pop and jazz. But the band’s identity never blurred. Whether fronted by Rick Stevens, Lenny Williams, Hubert Tubbs, Larry Braggs or later vocalists, the sound remained unmistakable: East Bay grease, big brass, deep pocket, and an almost defiant joy.
The 21st century has brought both triumph and loss. Bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia died in 2020, removing one of funk’s most original bass voices from the band’s orbit. David Garibaldi, whose drumming had helped define the Tower of Power groove, stepped away from the touring band in 2024 after decades in and out of the chair. But Castillo and Kupka have continued to lead the ship, with the current lineup carrying the sound forward for new audiences.
In a music world where groups often come and go in a season, Tower of Power has endured since 1968. They may not always receive the broad public recognition given to some of their contemporaries, but among soul fans and musicians, their place is secure. Tower of Power didn’t just ask “What Is Hip?” — for generations, they helped define it.
