You Ought To Be Havin' Fun, What Is Hip (3:12), You're Still a Young Man (5:57) and Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now (11:00) are performed by Tower of Power. The Oakland, CA-based R&B group's live performance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert at Longhorn Theater, Hollywood, CA on September 28, 1977 was in support of their 1976 album Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now. Tower of Power album personnel is horn section: Greg Adams – trumpet, Emilio Castillo – tenor saxophone, Mic Gillette – trumpet, Stephen "Doc" Kupka – baritone saxophone, Bill Lamb – trumpet/flugelhorn, and Lenny Pickett - saxophone. Rhythm section is Edward McGee – lead vocals (only TOP album as featured vocalist), Francis Rocco Prestia – bass guitar, Ron E. Beck - drums, Bruce Conte - guitar, and Chester Thompson - keyboards.
You're Still a Young Man is the first song that co-founding and primary songwriters Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka wrote together. The soul ballad single was Tower of Power's first hit. Still active in 2020, the two sax players are the only remaining original band members. TOP performance is better than the popular 1977 Chicago Soundstage video.
Loudersound.com update: Tower of Power bassist Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia has died, aged 69. Legendary bassist Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, from Californian funk band Tower Of Power, passed away on September 29, 2020.
The influential funk musician had been battling various illnesses over the past two decades, and in 2014 he underwent a kidney transplant. He passed away in Las Vegas on September 29.
The Oakland, California band’s leader Emilio Castillo confirmed the news on the official Tower Of Power Facebook page, writing: “Our dear "Rocco" passed away last night, peacefully with his family by his side at a hospice in Las Vegas. As a bass player, he was totally unique and as a person, he was one of a kind. He fought a long fight over the last 20 years and now he's with the Lord and heaven is his home.”
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