TOWER OF POWER TO PLAY BENEFIT FOR THE FRANCIS HOUSE, IN SACRAMENTO, AUGUST 12

Tower of Power "You're Still A Young Man," from the Alameda County Fair, 2011

Tower of Power will be performing at the 18th Annual Bump City Dance Party, at the Radisson Hotel Grove, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento, CA, on Friday, August 12 at 7:30 PM. Also on the bill are Nick Martin and the Blues Rockers. Tickets are on sale now at Dimple Records, TicketMaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone, call (800) 745-3000. For dinner or room reservations, please call (916) 922-2020.

Profits from this concert are being donated to Francis House, a Sacramento counseling and resource center for poor individuals and families. Francis House provides a link to caring volunteers, life-changing services and help for those in need. “Give Them Hope” is the theme for this event, which celebrates the life of Francis House Executive Director Greg Bunker, who passed away last December.

The band is available in advance for interviews; please call publicist Anne Leighton at 718-881-8183.

With 43 years of recording and touring experience behind them, Tower of Power have a 40th ANNIVERSARY CD/DVD BOX SET and a new album, THE GREAT AMERICAN SOULBOOK which features covers of soul classics with guest singers Joss Stone, Sir Tom Jones, Huey Lewis, and Sam Moore. 

The group still garners rave reviews, and leaves the audiences dancing in their seats in the arenas, theatres, and outdoor venues they play year 'round. Melding soul, jazz, funk, and rock in a way no group ever has, the ten-piece outfit is, according to the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, “tighter than a clenched fist.”

The late great James Brown was quoted in HEEB magazine about Tower of Power, as saying, "There's no black group that plays my stuff as good as them."   

Well known in the '70s for tunes such as “What is Hip?” and “You're Still a Young Man,” Tower of Power toured with Santana, Sly Stone and Credence Clearwater Revival, eventually creating traffic jams when they headlined their own shows. They performed on records with Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, and Dionne Warwick, influencing a generation of musicians (including Sting, who has told Emilio Castillo, founder of the group, that he once had a “Tower of Power clone band” before he formed The Police). In the 1980s, they backed Huey Lewis and the News, Heart, Eurythmics, and Little Feat, just to name a few. 

Tower of Power, after 40 years, is experiencing more popularity than ever before as they tour year 'round packing venues in the United States, the Pacific Rim, and all over Europe. 

On June 6, 2004 The California Music Association honored Tower of Power with a Lifetime Achievement Award and cited their 2003 Sony Legacy anthology “Havin' Fun” as Soul/R&B album of the year, beating out releases by En Vogue and Raphael Saadiq. 

Tower of Power announces the triumphant return of lead trumpet player extraordinaire
Lee Thornburg. Lee played with Tower from 1985 to 1994. His first road experience was with Wayne Cochran & the CC Riders. He was a founding member of Jack Mack & the Heart Attack and toured with Rod Stewart, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Etta James, and Supertramp. After leaving Tower he became the lead trumpet for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He's appeared on countless recordings with other GRAMMY-award winning artists. Tower afficianados will remember Lee's scorching Vocal on "Monster On A Leash" which garnered him the nickname "The Monster Man."

The band's frontman Larry Braggs is also a powerful force. Emilio, who shares frontman duties, is in awe of his singer, "with his astounding range and irresistible energy, he has a soulfulness that knows no bounds, finessing a ballad with the best of them, and then turning right around  to make it as funky as it gets. Larry's joyful spirit is undeniably contagious."   

When asked to describe the band's music, the group members give a variety of responses. Says Emilio, “What Tower plays is Oakland soul music.” Former Tower saxophonist Lenny Pickett, current musical director for the Saturday Night Live band, says “TOP is the world's best rhythm and blues band.” In reality, TOP's horn-driven, in-your-face sound is all its own. Read more about Tower of Power at www.towerofpower.com.


Adolfo Acosta - trumpet
Larry Braggs - lead vocalist
Emilio Castillo - bandleader, 2nd tenor sax, vocals
Jerry Cortez - guitar     
David Garibaldi - drums
Lee Thornburg - trumpet & trombone
Stephen "Doc" Kupka - baritone sax
Tom Politzer - lead tenor sax
Rocco Prestia - bass
Roger Smith - keyboards