This led to problems, and eventually the band disbanded. Tower of Power at Stern Grove on July 25, 1999. But Harvey insisted. As a young boy, Scott would sit with his ears glued to the radio, mimicking every sound he heard. This is a carousel. When I first heard Tower, he was one of the aspects of their vibe that really stood out. I did not like it. But most of . I love everything about him. I wanted to cut 25 tracks but at that time we were touring so much it was taking forever. Back then his name was Frank Houghton. Scott: Tower of Power has always been a racially integrated band with a melting pot of cultures running through it. Tower of Power continued to enjoy success with hits like "What Is Hip?" He called a bunch of people who were great session players, but he also put me in a room with people who didnt get in my way. And I keep working to make it better every single day. I studied mallet percussion (marimba, vibraphone and xylophone) in school. Scott: What was going on in the Bay Area with cats like you and Mike Clark (Headhunters) that was triggering all of this insane Funk-Jazz drumming? Use the links below to access additional information about this case on the US Court's PACER system. The passengers and crew are bewildered as to what could have caused the aircraft to vanish, leaving behind only mystifying clues. Additionally, he was homesick; he missed his family and friends back home. Pilots use 36000 feet to fly because the air is much thinner there. It would surprise you how little he knows about music for how intelligently he plays. Jacques Sonyieux talks with vocalist Marcus Scott about his new solo album, Back 2 Da Soul, creating a sonic palette, and what it was like to become the new frontman for Tower of Power. I told the guys, Lets just go back to doing it the way we do it: writing songs, trying them out on the audience then keep perfecting them. We became passionate about making music our way. Scott: Tower of Power had its own sound since the very first LP, East Bay Grease. You get your bell rung like that and things change in your body. I didnt want a separate track of me recording to music being played backI wanted all of us to be in the room at the same time, where the drummer counts it off. It was recorded over the course of the 2010s, and was released on March 20, 2020. R&B to him was like rap is to some parents now. Then God brought me to my knees, showed me The Way, Ive been doing it His way ever since and things go well for us that way. We also did a session with Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville of When Something is Wrong with My Baby one of my favorite Soul tunes from the old days. I remember one time I was doing something stupid and all of a sudden, I thought about my dad. $59.50-$79.50. All information published on this website is provided in good faith and for general use only. Everybody just enjoyed what they were hearing and what they were playing. Irritated passengers aboard a cross-country flight experience dizziness, headaches and other symptoms. Soulful. I dont know if its true but I heard somewhere that If You Dont Know Me By Now by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes was somehow inspired by Youre Still a Young Man. Id like to think that it had something to do with it. Its a parking lot now. Blue collar stuff The Million Gig March! I got way back into itand never left. . We dusted `em off! Doc has been my partner in crime since I was 17 years-old. It became the way that we approached all songs. What made you fall in love with Black music? Scott was replaced by lead singer Lenny Williams. He also sat in with us four years ago in San Mateo for 2 or 3 songs. TOWER OF POWER - You Ought to be Having Fun - YouTube Emilio was doing a great job of making distinctive versions of other artists songs. He enjoyed it, too. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); WHO WE AREThe news you want unfiltered.The Electronic Urban Report/EUR puts the most buzz worthy African American news at your fingertips. Toms married to an Oakland girlso you know hes got Soul! If I had to make any cues or changes, I could do that on the fly. I felt ashamedand I never did that stuff again. They could have chosen any one of them and I would have been good. Doc: No. I actually got a big kick out of that! Dave said, This might be cool for your What is Hip song. I said, Absolutely! Rocco nailed the bass line immediately and the song was born. I couldnt walk, feed myself or put my clothes on. Im very proud of that! wine startup leaves customers with thousands of S.F. There is no more complete source for urban news than the Electronic Urban Report. My resolve has always been there., Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicles pop music critic. So, it was a real thrill playing with him. He came up to us after the show and said, I really like that James Brown song! That was the nicest compliment we ever got as far as Im concerned. Would you like to come back to the band? Theyd never asked me beforeso I thought Id give it a try. Scott: What were the most satisfying moments of collaboration for you outside of Tower of Power? He didnt speak to me for a year for playing jungle music. He wasnt a total racistbut he came from Detroit. My movement level was I could make it from the bed to the TV room across the hallway. I think it meant a lot to him that I remembered him and thanked him for it. These three words exemplify the sound of Memphis Soul Man Marcus Scott. Thats where I was born, too, in 1946 but we lived in Los Angeles. Im so sad that he cant sing anymore because of his ears. Back 2 Da Soul was born out Scotts love of classic Memphis soul music, a passion he bonded with Sweetwater Founder and CEO Chuck Surack, and Hornsby over when the three met after a Tower of Power performance in Fort Wayne. I just kept that picture in my mind. *With their punchy 5-man horn-spiked instrumental sound, lyrics of timeless hipness, galvanizing history of dynamic lead singers and unparalleled Soul with a capital S, Oakland-based super band Tower of Power has been knocking audiences out around the globe since 1968 with stone-cold classics such as So Very Hard To Go, Youre Still a Young Man, Down to the Nightclub, You Ought To Be Havin Fun, Some Days Were Meant For Rain, Diggin On James Brown, This Time Its Real, Only So Much Oil in the Ground and, most notorious of all, What is Hip.. Im not a big Jazz fan. According to Peacock, they took cues from classic psychological thrillers like Strangers on a Train and Deception while telling their story in an episodic format that allows viewers to invest in each individual character. Scott: Im imagining Latin music had an influence as well. My relationships from that period of time still exist today because of our shared experience and because of that time. The guitar player is mixing it. Horns a plenty: Oakland soul/funk band Tower of Power performs at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport on Thursday, Nov. 17. Eventually, they went to Europe on a tour and called me to say that drummer Herman Matthews was getting ready to leave. Production-wise, you cant really arrive at that sound if everybody is cutting demos out of their own homes and sending each other filesbut if you are in the room with the other people, you can capture the spirit of it. Scott: Do you think you will write a song about this crazy time America is struggling with right now? In the chat below, he discusses the broad range of styles that inform his playing, leaving and returning to the band four times, his relationship with former T.O.P. My album is called Back 2 Da Soul because we just wanted to get back to soul music. At 16, I really got turned onto Soul music which became my passion. Not because hes an average singer who makes the most out of his voice and has a great personality. Tower Of Power introduces Marcus Scott 2016! - YouTube [1] [2] This album is the last Tower of Power album to feature lead vocalists Ray Greene and Marcus Scott, and is also the last album to feature legendary bassist Francis Rocco Prestia before his death a few months later. David: First of all, Tower of Power is home for me. We have our own voice. Scott: Lets close out with you sharing your thoughts about Stephen Doc Kupka, David Garibaldi, Rocco and your current lead singer, Marcus Scott. I was super excited and said, Im on my way now. I wore my double-breasted grey suit and polka dot socks, and auditioned with four songs; I already knew all the lyrics. It was chaos, Stevens said in an interview with The Chronicle in 2013. He came back in `98. Describe for me your friendship and musical brotherhood with bassist Francis Rocco Prestia because you two were a special drum and bass lock. These three words exemplify the sound of the new lead singer of Tower of Power, "Memphis Soul Man" Marcus Scott. That voice will be recognized by the city of Oakland with a Tower of Power Day celebration on the steps of City Hall at noon on Thursday, May 31, followed by a pair of homecoming shows at the Fox Theater on Friday and Saturday, June 1-2. Marcus Scott - Sweetwater Studios He directed, wrote, and produced the series with his wife Brook Salisbury, who also stars in it. Im gonna do it! So, we brought him in. I told him about what I was hearing and asked, Why do you do that? He said, Well, I just think its what I should do. That was pretty intuitive to him. So, when I got to the rehearsal, there were four songs that they did that I knew: Cold Sweat by James Brown, Tell Mama by Etta James, Philly Dog by the Bar-Kays and B-A-B-Y by Carla Thomas. Rocco Prestia Ive played with since I was 15. So, every time I came back to Tower of Power, thered still be dope and weirdness going on. Im still on really friendly terms with Lenny and love talking to him. Tower of Power - Emilio Castillo - Theatertimes They are family. We changed our name from The Motowns to Tower of Power, aimed our sights on the Fillmore West. By Gods grace, Bill Graham (legendary creator of The Fillmore) liked us and so did Dave Rubinson (famed Bay Area record producer). Then along came the Seawind Horns which, thanks to Quincy Jones, became the next popular sound for horns in the studio. In the midst of his vocal duties with the band, Scott has found time to complete a solo project, the album Back 2 Da Soul, which is set for release in September. He has won critical acclaim for his work, and his latest album, Marcus Scott Live, was released in 2013. When I realized that Marcus was as talented of a writer as he was a singer and performer, I knew we had to work on this material together. bassist Francis Rocco Prestia, and how he has been able to get his own feet back on the ground after being hit by a train in January 2017. Castillo still has vivid memories of meeting baritone sax player Stephen Doc Kupka that year at the Alameda County Fair over the Fourth of July weekend, and together forming the band with the express mission of getting to play at concert impresario Bill Grahams famed Fillmore Auditorium. Youre still standing 50+ years later. Were brothers in sobriety, brothers in Christ and best friends for life like-minded souls. In fact, this is the only way you can capture the essence of soul music. So, as he was taking me to the airport, he asked if Id like to do a few more songs with him. Soulful. So, we wound up staying, those guys were there, we did it and it was cool. There are two actors in Peacocks departure. Most commercial airplanes fly around 35,000 or 36,000 feet in the air. Thats alright. Then we brought in Chester Thompson on organ. Doc: I always had a way with words. But in the mid-`60s, Sam & Daves Hold On, Im Comin came outJames Brown and Otis Redding. I was like, O.K., go for it! Im proud of every song on the record. I loved the drum set. Doc: I had been thinking: what is hip? David; Well, its still a work in progress. Immediately after the audition, the band was excited and the leader started discussing tour dates and salaries. Doc: No. Beneath Michelin-starred restaurants success, landlord dispute is boiling. But hes never come back to record. I wish that I would have embraced it earlier. As primary lyricist and baritone sax man, Doc has been at the very foundation of the band musically (at the bottom end of the horns tonal register) and philosophically (kickin low end theory that led to he and leader Emilio Castillos creative entrepreneurship as songwriters). Emilio Castillo doing business as Tower of Power, Stephen Kupka doing business as Tower of Power and Mack Avenue Records II, LLC, US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, NOTICE OF ASSIGNMENT. Hornsby and Surack had already been impressed by Scotts performances with Tower of Power, but when he told them that he had written his own material, they were intrigued. But weve never thought about stopping. For vocals I love Johnnie Taylor, Gladys Knight, Phillippe Wynne and Ronald Isley. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia. Pro Sound News recently spoke to Scott about the soul of Memphis and the importance of live presence in recording studios. I said something to him that sounded hip and he said, Naw, you dont want to sound hip. Scott: Paint a picture for us of your audition for the band! I didnt see Earvin for a while Then, several years later, I was able to thank him for letting me hang with him. Rhythmically, I was working with the rudiment called The Swiss Triplet so my drum part was based on that mixed with Funk and Latin accents. The 10-piece band also has a new album, Soul Side of Town, its first in nearly a decade, that prominently features longtime players Kupka, drummer David Garibaldi and bassist Francis Rocco Prestia. Soul Side Of Town is out now:https://mackavenue.lnk.to/nyzNu Coming back four times was like, when you have a relationship with a woman and it doesnt work, you leave but come back because you want it to work. He has a great personality and a lot of love for me, too. Mark played a huge role in choosing the musicians. Coming from oboe, it was natural to switch to sax. Tower of Power - Look In My Eyes (Official Video) - YouTube I read that the album was cut with another lead singer at first who was fired then Lenny Williams joined and had to recut all of the songs. Top 10 Best Marcus Scott Leaves Tower Of Power Reviews & Comparison He felt that his talents were being wasted in his current position and that he could be doing more with his life. They contacted me. I remember one morning waking up and being able to put my pants on by myself. A Scott Galloway: Your drumming is so musical and your approach to creating parts so integral. Brent said he wanted to do a video of What Is Hip and for me to introduce it the way I do on stage: asking The Eternal Question Social Distancing Style! I was singing that song almost in the form of a sermon. Weve had very trying times, Castillo said. Scott: Those are very awesome records. That way we could own a song, make money off the song. Ive got the perfect guy for you. Emilio called and asked me to audition in Vegas. King Curtis (was murdered) not that long thereafter so it was a real honor to be there. Hed have to go to the hospital and wed have to fly in somebody to sit in on bass. Needless to say, its been incredible ever since. It was early in the morning and we had played the night before at the Whisky or The Roxy. Bill Graham (concert promoter/music impresario) had a lot to do with that. Virtually all of the lyrics are mine and Im really proud of it. In December 1974, Marcus Scott announced his departure from Tower of Power. Tower of Power lead singer, Rick Stevens, is arrested on Feb. 19, 1976 for multiple murders committed in Boulder Creek and San Jose. Youll be back to work in October. Sure enough, I was. I made every mistake you possibly could in the early years. The original tracks still exist as outtakes in the Warner Bros. vaults. He recognized that so they hired me. We even had to do a few gigs without any bass at all. I wanted it to be in the presence of all the musicians, where we are all sitting down, jamming on a record like they would back in the day. Artist Website: https://towerofpower.com/marcus-scott. I lost all feeling. Scott: How did you construct your drum part for the classic Soul Vaccination?. Scott: The two recent T.O.P. I thought, What if my dad saw me like this? It was a very sobering awakening. For a while, we felt cursed not being able to sound like other bands. It was his stamina that was waning. We never really spoke about what we do together. But the last time I asked him, I said, Were getting another singer one way or the other. Everybody was living together, eating together, making music together. You know, social ills such as racism werent happening in the music thing. Tower of Power - Marcus Scott Bio. Even before I started touring with Tower, I had my own little studio setup and have always been writing and compiling songs. Scott: I was so thrilled when you came back because I was too young to catch you in the early `70s heyday. We Publish News 24/7. Larry Dodson of the legendary Barkays gave him a call to collaborate on House Party, he has sung with James Ingram and has appeared at Isaac Hayes night club and hes been the lead singer with the house band for the NBAs Memphis Grizzlies. . It was love at first sight. So, I recorded that part then he got the singers together: Hubert Tubbs, Tom Bowes, Ellis Hall, Ray Greene, Larry Braggs and himself. It was such a joy to see him over the last several years. Thank God for YouTube. Emilio: I just did, actually! He and Lenny Pickett (a vintage Tower of Power alumnus). We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. So, I finally left one time that I thought would be forever. I had all of these influences: big band (Count Basie, Woody Herman), jazz (John Coltrane, Miles Davis), Then I heard James Brown and that changed everything! Being a rebellious teenager, since I was force fed classical music, I didnt appreciate it like I should have. In December 1974, Marcus Scott announced his departure from Tower of Power. It is unclear at this time whether or not Departure will return for a third season on Peacock. The Palace Theater in Waterbury is hosting two shows in October: One with Alice Cooper and the other with Tower of Power. I love him with all my heart. Shes married to Joe so weve known him a long time. In the interview below, he talks about his classical music roots, his passion for writing, and the bands overall contributions and takeaways to the sweet-sweet artform of Black music. His playing was great. With a landmark 50th anniversary album, 2018's Soul Side of Town, still visible in their rearview mirror, one would think Tower of Power (or TOP, as it is more often referred to by its global legion of fans), the much-lauded creators of their own horn-based, hybrid brand of East Bay soul/funk/R&B/rock, would take a well-deserved breather. David: I was 23 when I joined Tower. Thats when I met Mike who was just a couple years older. As of now, it is difficult to predict the network's decision given the show's international appeal. My father, Dr. Edward Kupka, was a medical doctor but a fan of classical music to the max. I just started playing with them and the whole band. It was already creating a lot of division within us, the music and our ability to create. All those guys were there in the beginning of the development of Bay Area music. He said hed call me back in five days, but he called me two days later and offered me the gig. The plane broke due to a power surge, which opened a small tear in the side of the aircraft. The group lost another longtime family member, trumpet player Mic Gillette, who died suddenly of a heart attack in 2016. He won a Grammy with his brother Gino Vannelli for Powerful People. They were a very good band. Hes got somethin. Every time I saw him for 40+ years, I would thank Emilio/s dad for my career. Hes very sensitive and quite a player. Tower of Power continued to enjoy success with hits like "What Is Hip?" On its previous album, 2018s Soul Side of Town, Tower of Power proudly celebrated its 50th anniversary and putting the finishing touches on a commemorative DVD documentary that will definitively tell the true story from the inside out. Not only did Graham ask them to play, but he signed Tower of Power to his San Francisco Records imprint, releasing the groups breakthrough 1970 debut, East Bay Grease., Coming up behind psychedelic rock acts like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, Tower of Power came to be known for carving its own show-stopping R&B niche across the bay with horn-driven, era-defining hits like Down to the Nightclub and What Is Hip?, Weve always pushed the bar musically from a rhythmic standpoint, said Castillo, 67, a tenor sax player and vocalist, taking a breather at his home in Phoenix last week. Their greatest trick perhaps has been to be one of the longest-running and highly influential bands inspiring musicians from the UKs Incognito to the U.S. Snarky Puppy though the majority of the band is not African American. Besides the God thing, we as a band made a commitment about 15 years in that when we stay true to ourselves, we do better and the fans like it more. I figured with that instrument I might catch some opportunities. Thats what youve got to find.. Bringing back the soul Hes got a solo career and thats his decision. David: Rocco is a beautiful man with a beautiful heart and just a really cool guy. He was the one who said, Knock yourself out and On the serious side, which both gave me concepts to create a song. What made you step out so many times yet always return? I got a lot of mileage out of that! They signed us to our first record deal (San Francisco Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records). What inspired you and Doc to write a song contemplating the very definition of hip?. CGAA will not be liable for any losses and/or damages incurred with the use of the information provided. The horn-fueled Bay Area R&B/jazz group . Weve lost people that we love. People called him Butch and French Fry. When we found out that his real name is Francis Rocco Prestia, Rick Stevens was still in the band and was the one that started calling him Rocco. Hes one of my best friends in the entire world. He died in 2017, the same year Garibaldi and bass player Marc Van Wageningen were struck by an Amtrak train crossing the tracks to get to a performance at Yoshis nightclub in Oaklands Jack London Square. Tower of Power & the Many Lead Singers They had three horns already Emilio on alto (hed later switch to tenor), Skip Mesquite on tenor and a guy named Gary we called Raw Soul on trumpet (who went away to college and was replaced by Mic Gillette). Thats when I met Emilio on a 4th of July weekend in `68. I completely went as far away as I possibly could in the opposite direction which meant leaving the band. I had broken bones, a traumatic brain injury, couldnt walk or feed myself and, realistically, I didnt know what to expect. As a young boy, he would sit with his ears glued to the radio, mimicking every sound he heard. Back then, most of the chords and music came from him and I was more the lyrics. For the past few years, Marcus Scott has been making a name for himself as the lead singer of the legendary band Tower of Power. As the leader and heartbeat of Tower of Power, singer/saxophonist/songwriter Emilio Castillo has weathered many personal and professional storms to present authentic Soul music to generations of appreciative audiences. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now! Just like you said about Tower of Powers third album, I cant play just one song off of This Is My Country. Castillo said the group has learned to roll with the punches. https://towerofpower.com/marcus-scott Back 2 Da Soul Release Date: June 26, 2019 Where to Buy Amazon Press Press Release The thing is, theres a billion guitar players and drummers. Then I moved back to the Bay Area and I met the guy that was playing guitar for Tower of Power. Emilio: The record company, the publicist, Joe Vannelli and Diane Ricci picked that to be the single. My doctor told me, Luckily, you had no neurological damage, Dave. Forever FLOTUS Michelle Obama Jams w/Bruce Springsteen Will Smith Posts BTS of Emancipation & More | WATCH, Lil Meech Calls Cap on 2-Year-Old Pic w/Groupie Doctor Says Oral Sex Causes Throat Cancer & More | PicsVideos, Ne-Yo Says Celebs Are Weirdos-Hes Willing to Love Down A Plain Jane + Ime Udoka Publicly Apologizes for Affair & More | PicsVideos. I had a dear friend named Earvin Moore who let me hang out with him. 159 views, 12 likes, 2 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Prime Time Entertainment, Inc.: Marcus Scott on vocals with Tower of Power It is possible that some people did not watch all of the episodes, as installments may be spaced out over consecutive days. This fascination evolved into an insatiable desire to entertain and capture the hearts of audiences everywhere. But King Curtis is my favorite saxophonist of all-time. Their drummer Adam Deitch (formerly of AWB). That song was written by our former and legendary bass player Francis Rocco Prestia with Tom Schuman, the keyboard player of Spyro Gyra. Hornsby agreed, saying, From a producing point of view, [Surack] and I are both heavily rooted in old school R&B music, so we were all on the same page and speaking the same language. Update your browser to view this website correctly. He's 35 years-old, got a good head on his shoulders, a great voice, is a great entertainer and very creative. And he knew all of us. And as if all that werent enough, Tower of Power are band ambassadors of the France-based Make Music Festival in which people from around the world professional and amateur are invited to pick up an instrument and revel in the joy and camaraderie of creating and enjoying music. Emilio: Weve asked Lenny to come back and do different things with us We actually did a gig in Hayward, CA where the promoter got him to sit in with us for about 6 songs in our set. Tower of Power, a horn band from Oakland, Calif., is famously known for having a large and rotating cast of musicians.There have been at least 50 members over the last 50 years of the band's . CDs were co-produced by you with Joe Vannelli who is known for making great sounding records. Hes my best friend even today. Soul Vaccination started as a kind of jam. But they were able to put their parts together in their home studios then send me the track. When I saw them, that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When we started to get into drugs and alcohol, that started to tear everybody apart. It all happened in 2016I heard from B.B. But Seawind and Tower of Power pretty much became the go to sections for sessions along with the Memphis Horns. Rick Stevens, the former lead singer of Oakland's Tower of Power rhythm and blues band who spent 36 years in prison, has died. What blew my mind was how it sounded once we added a choir to that song. Mark and I hit it off when we first met over all the right things, he said. How does that all sit with you in your spirit about what you have been able to contribute to Black Music and what youve taken from Black music? It keeps changing. Emilio Castillo: God did it and I just showed up! But not for long. Our drummer David Garibaldi and bassist Doug Rausch of Santana were jamming on that groove. The reasons for his departure are unclear, but it is likely that Scott was unhappy with the band's musical direction.