E M I L I O C A S T I L L O
FOUNDING MEMBER OF
Legendary Soul/Funk/R&B
T O W E R O F P O W E R
EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV
with RAY SHASHO
on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS
EMILIO CASTILLO
ZOOM INTERVIEW
CLICK BELOW
TO WATCH IN ITS ENTIRETY
When sax player Emilio Castillo put together the band that would evolve into Tower of Power in 1968, he had no grand expectations. “We were hoping to get good enough to play the Fillmore,” Castillo said. “I started the band in Fremont, at John F. Kennedy High, with my brother Jack, who was the original drummer. The band moved up to Oakland and took off, packing clubs with their horn-driven sound. “Oakland is our sound,” Castillo said. “I always say, ‘You can take the boy out of Oakland, but you can’t take Oakland out of the boy.’ Looking back on the band’s history, Castillo said he’s satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. “We’re not a band that reinvents itself every time we go into the studio. We sound like Tower of Power and there’s nothing we can do about it.
At first, I thought it was a curse but, as we kept evolving, I realized it was a blessing. We kept chipping away at the sculpture we were creating. The aim is to arrive at a masterpiece. You have to tell us if we’ve succeeded.”
The groups latest release is TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater captures Tower of Power’s storied career with no-holds-barred victory lap concerts in Oakland, CA on June 1 & 2, 2018, performing their full spectrum of life-affirming funk and soul hits.
Available as a 3-LP set, 2-CD/1-DVD package, standalone DVD and digital audio configuration, these historic performances include special guests Lenny Pickett (musical director of the Saturday Night Live band); keyboardist Chester Thompson (Santana); guitarist Bruce Conte and former vocalist Ray Greene, who shows off his trombone prowess. TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY is available now at amazon.com.
TOWER OF POWER
50TH ANNIVERSARY
50 Years of
Funk & Soul:
Live at the Fox Theater
captures Tower of Power’s storied career with no-holds-barred victory lap concerts in Oakland, CA on June 1 & 2, 2018, performing their full spectrum of life-affirming funk and soul hits. Available as a 3-LP set, 2-CD/1-DVD package, standalone DVD and digital audio configuration, these historic performances include special guests Chester Thompson, Lenny Pickett, Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, Bruce Conte and Ray Greene.
Available at amazon.com
Here’s the full track listing for the live album:
For more information
about
Emilio Castillo
and
TOWER OF POWER
Visit
official website
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTowerOfPowerBand/
facebook
https://twitter.com/OfficialTOPBand
twitter
https://www.instagram.com/towerofpower/
Instagram
TOWER OF POWER DISCOGRAPHY
Studio albums
1970: East Bay Grease
1972: Bump City
1973: Tower of Power - US gold
1974: Back to Oakland
1975: Urban Renewal - US #22
1975: In the Slot
1976: Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now
1978: We Came to Play!
1979: Back on the Streets
1981: Direct
1986: TOP (Europe only release)
1987: Power (US version of TOP album)
1991: Monster on a Leash
1993: T.O.P.
1995: Souled Out
1997: Rhythm & Business
1997: Direct Plus (reissue of Direct with alternate takes)
1999: Dinosaur Tracks (recorded 1980–1983)
2003: Oakland Zone
2009: The Great American Soulbook
2018: Soul Side of Town
2020: Step Up
Live albums
1976: Live And In Living Color
1999: Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live
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
2013: Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (Live On The Air & In The Studio 1974)
2021: 50 Years Of Funk & Soul - Live At The Fox Theater Oakland CA ° June 2018
IS FINALLY OUT!
ENTITLED
THE
ROCK STAR
CHRONICLES
SERIES ONE
CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS
THAT SET US FREE!
…Order yours today on (Collector edition) Hardcover
or E-book
at bookbaby.com and amazon.com
Featuring over 45 intimate
conversations with some of
the greatest rock legends
the world will ever know.
CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA… JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER... RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER... ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST
THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES
BOOK TRAILER
BOOK REVIEW
-By Literary Titan (5) STARS
The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.
The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.
Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.
The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.
https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/ Gold Award Winner
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