"And, if this isn’t fantastic enough, I just found out that I’m in a book that’s included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame … I have been truly, truly blessed,” Stevens said. In addition to singing with Love Power, Stevens told the San Jose Mercury News in a 2014 interview that he was "blessed," with a new record, Back on the Streets Again, a movie on his life story in development and a book project. I have faith that I'll see him in heaven someday and together we'll worship and glorify God together for eternity. The first time he sat in with us, after his release from prison, was a 'once in a lifetime' emotional experience for all of us. He started a band called the Motowns, specializing in soul music. In the mid-1960s, 17-year-old tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Fremont, California. I told him that I really hoped he would take advantage of the tremendous opportunity that God had given him to help people to avoid the pitfalls he had fallen into."Ĭastillo wrote that Stevens "carried his message of faith and redemption to many. Tower of Power is a horn-based funk/soul band from Oakland, California. "I remember talking with him when he was released and I was skeptical about his 'prison salvation' experience. Tower of Power’s four mainstay members, from left, drummer David Garibaldi, bass guitarist Francis Rocco Prestia, baritone saxophonist Stephen Doc Kupka and. "After leaving the band he did some things that caused him to be imprisoned for around 37 years but the Lord had other plans for Rick," Castillo wrote. "He sang on our first two recordings and his rendition of Sparkling in the Sand and You're Still A Young Man were timeless classics that set our career in motion," Castillo wrote.īut Stevens was convicted of murder for killing three people in 1976 during a drug deal gone wrong. Tower of Power towerofpower150 37.1K subscribers 61 videos Since 1968, Tower of Power has been delivering their unique brand of soul music to their fans and 'Souled Out' crowds as they tour. Stevens joined the band in 1969 and sang lead on some of the band's biggest hits. "On behalf of Love Power, Tower of Power and all his friends, family, fans, we will love you forever in our hearts." "Rick passed away this morning a few hours ago," wrote drummer Amado Tuazon. The band, initially dubbed the Motowns, was founded at the juncture which begat Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago Transit Authority, and Earth Wind and Fire. nFJKavD6V0- Tony Brown September 5, 2017Ī separate Facebook page for Stevens and another Oakland-area band, Love Power, also confirmed the musician's death. Rick Stevens, the former lead singer of Oakland's Tower of Power rhythm and blues band who spent 36 years in prison, has died. A big band of scorching funk, Tower of Power traces its roots to 1968 Oakland, where it flourished in a thicket of sound tearing at industry barriers. Rest in peace Rick Stevens, a former lead singer of Tower of Power.
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