Posted on 01/18/2016 4:00:34 PM PST by nickcarraway
Mic Gillette, renowned trumpet and trombone player and founding member of the legendary Oakland funky soul band Tower of Power, died suddenly of a heart attack over the weekend. He was 64.
Gillette started playing with members of seminal funk outfit back in 1966 and as first trumpet, he was a powerful sonic force behind Tower of Power’s rise to prominence in the 1970s.
“The Tower of Power family was stunned today by the news that Mic Gillette, our dear friend and bandmate going back to 1966, passed away,†bandleader Emilio Castillo announced on the group’s website Sunday night.
“Mic was without a doubt the greatest brass player I've ever known,†he said. “Our sincere condolences go out to his wife Julia and his daughter Megan and their entire family."
While bands like the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead were shaping the rock scene at the height of the 1960s psychedelic movement in San Francisco, Tower of Power carved out its own funky niche across the Bay in Oakland.
The group had several top 40 radio hits through the 1970s, including “You Are Still a Young Man†and the 1973 grooving classic “What is Hip?â€
During his more than four-decade-long music career, Gillette played with huge names in the business, including Santana, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Elton John and dozens of others.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Glenn Frey...it’s been a very bad month.
wtf is going on here
As a horn player, growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, Mic was one of my idols.
The sax player(a white fella) was a heck of a dancer when he put down the sax. Hope it wasn’t him.
Celebrity is a lethal disease.
Blowfly/Clarence Reid also is went yesterday.
Nope. Mic played trumpet and trombone.
I was just thinking about the great horn bands the other day, between Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Tower of Power, The Memphis Horns, etc.
The sax player / dancer from way back in the day is Lenny Pickett. He has led he Saturday Night Live band for the past 20 years.
What is going on? So many, all of the sudden, within a week.
Definitely hipper than hip.
Saw Tower of Power in concert when I was in college. Great concert, REO Speedwagon was the warmup act. Their sound was unique, yet not appreciated by people I socialized with. Favorite song? Squib Cakes, hands down.
What is Hip?
and don’t forget Sly and the Family Stone.
I always appreciated horns. Perhaps the influence of my parent 30/40’s upbringing.
A trumpet player myself, I love those bands. I even liked how Huey Lewis and The News used horns too.
Robert Cray used The Memphis Horns on a lot of his records.
God is getting a heck of a band together in Heaven for some reason.
Seems early to mid 60s is the breaking point for entertainment figures this year for some reason
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