Larry Braggs brings in 2013 at Thunder Valley Casino
LINCOLN, CA – Tower of Power’s lead singer for the last 13 years will be leaving the group and a new singer will debut with the group at Thunder Valley Casino’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Scheduled to appear alongside ToP at Thunder Valley’s New Year’s Eve Celebration is Average White Band.
Larry Briggs will be leaving his singing duties after a long and successful career with Tower of Power and Ray Greene will be performing publicly for the first time with the R&B group on New Year’s eve at Thunder Valley Casino’s Holiday Pavilion.
Read last years review: Tower of Power amps up New Years
Bandleader Emilio Castillo
“Over the past thirteen years I have made so many great friends and relationships that have enriched my life in so many ways. It makes for this extended family of friends that will last forever. I know that my time with the band has come to a close. This is just a chapter in this fairy tale life you have allowed me to live,” says Larry Braggs. “From the bottom of my heart I want to say with everything that is in my capacity as a true believer in the universal path of brotherly love, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!”
Bandleader Emilio Castillo said about Ray Greene, “He’s an exciting soulful singer that was chosen by the band unanimously over all of the great singers that auditioned, and the whole band is totally excited to get started on a new era of Tower of Power with Ray Greene at the helm,” continuing Castillo thanked Braggs “for 13 years of phenomenal singing with the band. He’s been one of the best singers Tower of Power has ever had, and we wish him total success in all of his endeavors. Larry is a member of our musical family for life.”
Larry Braggs performing with ToP at Thunder Valley Casino
Ray Greene expressed his gratitude by saying, “There is no way to express how excited I am for this amazing and wonderful opportunity to work with a band that has such a tremendous legacy in the music industry.” Greene added, “I have a profound respect and admiration for all of the great vocalists that have preceded me, especially Mr. Larry Braggs, who is the longest tenured singer ever to grace the Tower of Power stage.”
Tower of Power’s musical odyssey began 45 years ago, when tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo met baritone sax player Stephen “Doc” Kupka. All these years later, Emilio and “Doc” are still making musical history, touring the world, and bringing soul/funk music to the masses.
At least 60 talented musicians have toured or recorded with the band in its 45 years and they have been featured with artists as diverse as Aerosmith, Elton John, Little Feat, Phish, Santana, Heart, and many others, forever infusing the radio airwaves with Tower’s musical DNA.
ToP brings in 2013 at Thunder Valley Casino
Tower of Power’s most recent release ‘Hipper Than Hip Live’ captures the band at their commercial peak, fresh from releasing their fourth album, “Back to Oakland”, and featuring such key early tracks as “You’re Still a Young Man,” “Down to the Nightclub,” “So Very Hard to Go,” “Time Will Tell” and, of course, “What Is Hip?” with Lenny Williams on vocals.
What makes the recording particularly overpowering—aside from the band’s performance, which is so on the money that calling it “tight” doesn’t really do it justice—is that it was a live-in-the-studio session, so the fidelity is the equal of a studio recording, yet it has all the passion and immediacy of a live concert. This special package includes photos and liner notes by noted R&B producer, scholar—and long-time friend of the band—Leo Sacks.
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