Diggin' on James Brown – Tower of Power
Tower of Power are a soul / jazz-funk band from Oakland California who have been performing since 1968. At least 60 musicians have toured or recorded with the band over their 52 year history. The current line up still has two original members, founder and tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo, and baritone saxophonist Stephen "Doc" Kupka. The current drummer David Garibaldi is also a serial offender, working with the band from 1970–1975, 1979–1981, and 1998–present.
Today’s track however comes from the 1995 studio album Souled Out. It marked the debut of lead vocalist Brent Carter and drummer Herman Matthews. The full lineup on the 1995 album is
Emilio Castillo - tenor saxophone, producer, background vocals, lead vocals on "Diggin' on James Brown"
Stephen "Doc" Kupka - baritone saxophone
Barry Danielian - trumpet, flugelhorn
Bill Churchville - trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone
David Mann - saxophones
Francis "Rocco" Prestia - bass
Carmen Grillo - guitar, background vocals
Nick Milo - keyboards, background vocals
Herman Matthews - drums, percussion
Lenny Castro - percussion
Jeff Lorber - guitar, producer
Brent Carter - lead and background vocals
Diggin' on James Brown was written by Emilio Castillo and recording engineer Ken Kessie. This studio version also appears on the excellent compilation album Soul With A Capital "S" - The Best Of Tower Of Power. Live versions can be found on albums like Soul Vaccination.
– Bozzie 🎷
