SAN DIEGO — Tower of Power hasn't done absolutely everything a band can do in 53 years, but it's come close.
Since debuting in 1968 in Oakland, the brassy soul, funk and R&B band has released 29 albums — including six live concert recordings — and performed countless times with at least 49 different lineups of musicians. More than a dozen lead singers have passed through the ranks in that time.
One of the group's first concerts was as the opening act for Jimi Hendrix at the Berkeley Community Theatre. That was shortly after legendary concert promoter Bill Graham had signed Tower of Power to his Fillmore Records label, which in 1970 released the band's debut album, "Easy Bay Grease."
