Some musical questions never get old, and "What is Hip?" — as posed by Oakland's fabled funk crew — certainly ranks among that number. Well known in the 70's for tunes such as "What is Hip?" and "You're Still a Young Man," Tower of Power can still be heard on the radio, lending their singular horns to immortal tracks by Elton John, Rod Stewart, Eurythmics, Aerosmith, Little Feat, Santana, Heart and Phish just to name a few. Having influenced generations of musicians, Sting told TOP founder Emilio Castillo that before he formed the Police, he once had a "Tower of Power clone band."
Released in 2009 to coincide with the band's 41st anniversary, Great American Soulbook features the veteran outfit tackling old soul favorites, some utilizing original style arrangements, some with a TOP twist, but all with the distinctive TOP sound. Among the collection’s guest vocalists are Joss Stone, Tom Jones, Sam Moore and Huey Lewis.
TOP’s 40-plus year odyssey actually began in 1968, when ex-Motown sax player Castillo added fellow composer and baritone sax man Stephen "Doc" Kupka to the band. From that day forward, they called themselves Tower of Power. Many other bands came out of the San Francisco Bay area in the late 60's. The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Journey, and others helped define the "San Francisco Sound" while TOP has always claimed Oakland as their hometown. Listen Here

Tickets available at the Celebrity Theatre Box Office. To charge by phone call 602-267-1600 ext.1. To purchase online, just click on the red "find tickets" button above. All Tickets subject to a surcharge.

Celebrity Theatre is conveniently located on 32nd St., just 4 blocks south of the Loop 202 freeway, in Phoenix. Click here to view map for directions.