By the late ’60s, San Francisco was already humming with psychedelic revolution, but across the Bay in Oakland, something grittier was taking shape. When a young Emilio Castillo met baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 1968, the pair weren’t just looking to start another soul band—they were looking to invent a new sound. The Motowns, as they were first called, were too clean-cut for Bill Graham’s Fillmore scene. So they grew their hair, shed their suits, and became Tower of Power—a name that carried as much ambition as attitude.
What emerged from their rehearsal rooms was a muscular blend of funk, soul, and R&B, anchored by a horn section that would rattle windows from Oakland to Detroit. They called it East Bay Grease, a style as unmistakable as Motown’s polish or Memphis’s grit. Castillo remembers the moment vividly: “We wrote the songs for East Bay Grease, and by November we were at the end of our rope. I told the guys if nothing happened with this audition, I wasn’t coming back. Fortunately, I did—and the rest is history”
That “rest” included a deal with Warner Bros. and Bump City, their 1972 debut on the label, which yielded classics like “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Down to the Nightclub.” Through the ’70s, Tower of Power’s run of singles—“So Very Hard to Go,” “What Is Hip?”—proved that their East Bay groove could move just as easily on AM radio as it did in the sweaty Fillmore clubs. Their sound was expansive but tight, celebratory but razor sharp, carrying a swagger that made them one of Northern California’s best musical exports.
Tower of Power weren’t confined to their own records. They became the horn section of choice for some of rock’s biggest names—backing Elton John, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, the Grateful Dead, and Santana. Their arrangements pushed horns into the rock mainstream, laying a blueprint that reggae, funk, and jam bands would later lift wholesale. Tower of Power’s “Oakland soul” redefined what the Bay Area sounded like: tough, diverse, unapologetically funky.
By the time they hit their 50th anniversary in 2018, celebrated with 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater, the band had long since outgrown Castillo’s modest dream of simply playing the Fillmore. They had created a family, a legacy, and a style of music still instantly recognizable five decades on. “People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Wow man, 50 years! We can’t believe it,’” Castillo said with a laugh. “You can’t believe it? I’m the one that can’t believe it. We’ve affected a lot of people’s lives and done a lot of work that we’re very proud of”
East Bay Grease wasn’t just a genre tag—it was a declaration. It meant Oakland could stand shoulder to shoulder with San Francisco, Detroit, Memphis, and Philly in the pantheon of American soul. For a band that once feared they’d never get booked again, Tower of Power ended up putting their hometown on the map, horn blast by horn blast.
Tower of Power will join forces with WAR, Poncho Sanchez and special guest host DJ Muggs on December 20, 2025 at YouTube Theater, Inglewood, CA for a one-night only show that celebrates California’s legendary musical history. Tickets are on sale now via ticketmaster.com.
