Tower of Power
Sal Cracchiolo learned how to play the trumpet on his mother’s horn. As his love of the instrument grew she saw to it that Sal received classical trumpet lessons with some of the top teachers in their neighborhood of Long Beach, California. At 15 Sal began performing and recording with Jr. &...
Roger Smith began playing the piano and singing in church at an early age, quickly falling in love with the way people reacted to the music he performed. He was introduced to the Hammond organ thanks to a friend from school whose uncle was the legendary Jimmy McGriff. Jimmy shared his love of the...
Vernon Porter can be heard playing bass on many Kenny Loggins recordings from 1981-1984, which is one of many crowning achievements of his career. It started when young Vernon was in the fourth grade and was encouraged to appreciate music by his Bluegrass playing uncle and father. He joined the...
Ellis Hall is a man of many talents. This singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and composer may have lost his sight at the young age of 18, but he quickly found inspiration by looking to Ray Charles. After moving to Boston at a young age, Ellis started piano lessons despite knowing that...
Jim Mathews was playing drums and formed a band when he was just ten years old. He was encouraged by his mother, who was a singer in the big bands during the swing era. He soon developed a strong interest in audio equipment as he could see how much gear could help the band improve its sound and...
Jackie Bertone knows firsthand about the power of music. As a percussionist for countless recording dates and live performances, Jackie has added the sounds, the feel and the color that puts the song in motion and in the pocket for performers ranging from Brian Wilson to Third World. His...
David Garibaldi is the innovative drummer for Tower of Power and a much respected clinician well known throughout the world. He joined the group in 1970 just as they signed Bill Graham on as their manager. Before long the group was recording and landed several hits on the charts. David’s skills...
Rocco Prestia grew up in Northern California where he began playing guitar as a teenager before joining the group Tower of Power just after the famous band was formed. It was during these early days when Rocco switched from guitar to bass, which provided a special groove as he mastered what many...
Emilio Castillo plays second tenor sax, as well as providing background and lead vocals for the band he help establish in 1968 called Tower of Power! The year before Emilio formed a band called the Motowns, which became Tower of Power after meeting Stephen “Doc” Kupka. They began writing original...
Stephen “Doc” Kupka met Emilio Castillo in July, 1968, and discovered they both had a dream to form a rock and roll band with a strong horn element. By the end of the year the band began touring and was discovered by Bill Graham two years later when the Tower of Power recorded their first album,...