Anyone who slept on Lenny Williams, Tower of Power and this song must have been sleeping under a rock. They were AMAZING. I am still listening to them in 2023. BRAVO!!!
This is like James Brown's backup band on steroids. Can you imagine being in a small club hearing this? I'd be breathless! Kudos to the cameramen for excellent angles at just the right times -- unlike some of the crap you see on DVDs nowadays of live performances -- shots of drummer's feet while the guitarist solos, audience pans while the singer's peaking...
AWESOME!!!!!! Brings back so much memories. . . TOWER of POWER, WAR, EWF, OHIO PLAYERS, COMMODORES, AVERAGE WHITE BAND . . . . when music was music and all was "HIP"!!!!!! :) DAMN. . the music of the 70s . . . .. was definitely hip :)
súhlas a úspešný bol aj ako solový spevák v rebríčku R and B mal od roku 1975 do roku 1995 celkom 19 piesni. Najväčším hitom bola v oktobri 1978 Midnight Girl na 20.m., ktorá skončila v Billboarde na 102.m.
This band needed a vocalist that projected emotion. His singing voice has a certain urgency to it. It fits this mixture of Jazz, R&B, and Funk perfectly. They had a lot of hits together. The band is jamming and they are doing "Call and response" with Lenny. Lenny Williams is walking back and forth on the stage and singing like he is preaching. When you see the audience is getting into it, you know they are doing something special.
I used to see these guys at a dive called the On Broadway in Oakland in 71-72, monday nights for a ONE DOLLAR cover! Rick Stevens had just joined as the singer, Skip Mesquite was lead tenor, they were killer then now, it was heaven to see them up close in a small club. Now I can't even stay up that late!
U N B E L I E V B L E !!! Absolutely the greatest "horn band" of all time. What a killer bunch of musicians. They were so awesome with Lenny Williams as lead vocalist. I mean, some of the other singers kept the torch burning, but no one could hang with Lenny.
OMG thats the line-up I remember as a kid! Picket on the sax, Rocco and David, Chester, Mic, Greg, Doc, and Lenny!! Lady's and gentlemen, that's what funk is all about!
The tower of power one of the best diverse groups of the 70s with a great horn section and a great brother named Lenny Williams on lead vocalist Lenny is Arkansas boy and he can say what is hip
They were so very far ahead of their time. Glad I had such great taste in music for 13 years old. And for one great radio station that played it before it became HIP!!!
This is Tru Funk, The Grit. Chester Thompson, Garrabaldi is the funkiest Drummer of all time. Roco, what can I say? Bass Player of the Year more than once. Everyone uses the Horn Section. From Santana to Hornsby. School Trained Lenny Williams. Willie Fulton on Guitar. Outstanding. Even Rick Stevens. Real Music.
I saw them in Kansas City, MO in summer 1974 at the Kool Jazz Festival at Royals Stadium. Had thousands in the aisles bumpin' to Squib Cakes...AWESOME!!!
We used to do What is Hip in a ten piece horn band I was in. (I played guitar) Getting close to this level of tightness was a struggle and a pleasure. They're so good, and they make it look so easy.....WOW
Ladies and Gentlemen from Oakland, California please welcome The Tower of Power.... up next Graham Central Station, Sly & The Family Stone, Pete Escovedo, The Pointer Sisters.... Whats you ideal concert up to 6 acts
Great music in the East Bay in the 70's; Tower of Power,Sly Stone, Pete, Coke & Sheila Escovedo, Pride and Joy, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood. All playing in small clubs. The East Bay music scene was every bit as good as San Francisco's and way funkier
10 лет назад
Dont Forget Mike Clarke & Paul Jackson from Herbie Hancock's Headhunters
I never knew Lenny Pickett danced around so much! WOW! This is, in my opinion, the best Tower of Power lineup ever. (Still, I'm glad TOP is still up and strong making great music.)
I bet you have some great shots of that night! This was when you really enjoyed music and didn't sell photos to the scandal rags. What a great time to be apart of great music.
I just saw TOP last night, and they're still tighter than a clenched fist, i can say that much. Even though i think only 3 of the original members are left, they're just as good as back in the day. They blew me away.
Bad ass tune! Rocco Prestia's bass line is dope! One of Jaco's big influences. This band is still one of the funkiest band ever. Garibaldi funk is real!
These cats have been around since the late sixties. Originally know nas The Motowns. Used to see them every six months at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. NOBODY does East Bay Funk better than T.O.P.!!!
this was wihtout a doubt one of my favorite songs of my high school days... My first concert was Tower of Power and Herbie Hancock at the El Cortez in San Diego.... The experience shaped my decision to be in the industry.....
u can not move forward. unless u know where YOUR REAL MUSIC CAME FROM. STUDY, LEARN LISTEN! then LOVE IT,MAKE IT & then SHARE IT. go back 30yrs. 40, 50,60yrs.. See where real music came from. you might really enjoy it. U HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.
I was in the USC Trojan Marching Band and we played with these guys in the 1974 Rose Bowl game. What a great time we had, especially during preparations.
I saw TOP in a very small club in Huntington Beach in 1982. I thought the horn section of the band was literally going to blow us out of the place. It was GREAT!!!!!!
Saw them in Charlotte on 4/18/09. Worth the drive from Tpa Bay area, the OTHER Bay Area! Fla. It was Fabulous. New CD a real departure-they do mostly Soul classics and have guest stars. Joss Stone is such a phenom. Buy it.
I saw Tower in this incarnation, as a Bay Area native, I have been digging them since 1969. How great to see this, it takes me back to those early days, and thank God they have David Garibaldi back on the drums for the last few years. Tower still rules the horn bands.
I just saw TOP last night at House of Blues in Atlantic City. This makes three times that I have seen them this year and Larry Braggs is by far the best vocalist that they have had. He truly puts heart and soul in to EVERYTHING that he sings. LIDRUM4U - enjoy the show in NYC and if you get a chance, please tell Dave G that Gene Krupa's great nephew says hello sinc ehe didn' tcome out for meet and greet after last night's performance!
I saw these guys in concert at a Jazz Festival last February and wow they were absolutely and Positively Amazing I even got an autograped T shirt from the Bass player Wow!
The tower is overdosing on talent. Each individual is so damn awesome. It's truly one of the greatest bands ever. Late 60's early 70's can only be described as WHAT IS HIP💗🎵
I only saw TOP two or three times, spending all the money I had to see them whenever they happened to appear in California wherever I happened to be, including the East Bay Area, of course!
Lenny Williams is the lead singer! Lenny Pickett is on tenor sax with the dancing feet! He is the musical director for Saturday Night Live and has been for years! Legends
I saw this group in Columbus, Ohio at the Agora on High Street located across from the Ohio State University School of Law. My ticket number was 0001. Lenny Williams had just left the group. For those who do not know, the album titled "Tower of Power was the 3rd album. The 1st was titled East Bay Grease." The 2nd album was titled "Bump City." Rick Stevens was the lead singer. The song that basically introduced them to the American public was "You're Still A Young Man."
God bless Mic and thank you for your extremely artistic talent that brought us all together. Wish you were still here to help mend. You are now with the best in God's orchestra!
Lenny Braggs has been the vocalist for the past ten years. If you want to hear how good a vocalist he is, find Tower of Power National Anthem - one of the best renditions you'll ever hear. Yeah Rick had that great raspy sound, but my favorite is still Lenny Williams.
The organ player is Chester Thompson. This is the original group. Going to see them live tomorrow night at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. A bucket list event for my two sons.
What can I say , these dudes are the tightest band ever to hit the stage. Lenny great vocal lead. So much talent in one group. Never ever to be duplicated. Dr. Doo Wop
Saw the Back to Oakland Tour in '74 -- concert finale featured huge CA freeway sign with title while band was finishing up What is Hip. Great band -- Lenny Williams the best vocalist -- gave them that high vocal they needed!
And I almost forgot to mention David Garibaldi's incredible groovin' funky drumming here. (Maybe they just couldn't get cameras in there?) Again, thanks for posting!
Nice, I saw them at Monterey Fair grounds. I was just 13 yrs. I remember getting a good look at Rick Stevens at front stage. I was really upset that he left. 😕
Ronda Fultz Skupina sa s nim rozišla pre drogovú závislosť a neskôr bol odsúdený za vraždu priekupníka s drogami.....na albume EAST BAY GREASE spieval solo v 9 minútovej piesni Sparkling in The Sand v ostatných piatich bol solovým spevákom Rufus Miller. Na albume hral na tenor saxofone Skip Mesquite, ktorý zomrel v roku 2010.
last night I met one of the guitarists for T.O.P. Jeff Tamelier, and he ROCKED on the guitar! and i told him nice job after he played. lol seriously. no joke
Saw TOP a week ago at the Pori Jazz Festival. IT.. WAS.. AWESOME! :) Lenny Pickett played his own material with the UMO Jazz Orchestra, a very capable big band. Obviously i was there for TOP and they were great. People were jamming despite the fact it was raining heavily most of the time. Icing on the cake was they brought Lenny on too to play the encore, i just can't remember the song.
I was at that show!! Weirdest TOP show was at the Fox Theater in Salinas about '74. They played four tunes and a fight broke out. About ten Monterey County Sheriffs came out of nowhere and cleared the house. That was it! First time I saw Tower was in the cafeteria at College of San Mateo for $1.50, about '68 or '69. I have seen them more times that I can count. The band that is on the road now is up there with any of the many great line ups they have had. Yea, Lenny!
