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32
July – September 2013
www.deltalivingmagazine.com
By Charleen Earley
charleenbearley@gmail.com
H
e’s rocked – and still does
- with some of the big-
gest names in the music industry,
and yet this Oakland native, world-
renowned musician Mic Gillette is
as humble as they come. Father of
Megan McCarthy of Brentwood,
Mic lives in Concord with his wife
and manager Julia. Between his
extensive travel, gigs, recording ses-
sions and clinics, I got the chance to
talk with the talented 62-year-old
American brass player at the Brent-
wood Starbucks in Garin Ranch.
Sporting a baseball cap, he showed
up ready to disperse enough stories
to fill a book or two.
How old were you when you picked
up your first instrument?
I was four when my father
brought a trumpet home for my
older brother Pete, who was seven.
He didn’t like it. I really wanted to
play it, so I’d watch my father give
him lessons. I’d sneak it out, and
once I got caught. In the 1950s,
you got a whoopin’ with the belt!
My father was a very nice ex-Ma-
rine, but he believed in discipline.
He was also an Eagle Scout and he
was one of the heroes in my life.
He was perhaps the best trombone
player ever. When he heard me
play, he was blown away. I’ve been
playing ever since. I was a child
prodigy. I was playing seven days a
week, and five to seven hours a day.
When was your first gig?
Three weeks after I turned five,
I got my first gig! I played the echo
forTaps at a veteran’s ceremony on
Memorial Day in Fremont. My
dad hid me behind a headstone!
The soloist got $10 and all these
old guys handed me a total of $25!
I remember looking at my dad and
saying ‘I’m going to be a trumpet
player when I grow up.’ I’ve been
playing for 58 years.
When did Tower of Power come
into play?!
At age 15 I joined Gotham
City Crime Fighters, which fi-
nally evolved to the Tower of
Power. Our first single was Who
Stole the Batmobile - it wasn’t a
big hit! We changed the name to
the Motowns, and I built it up to
five horns. In 1968, we changed
the name to Tower of Power, and
I was the lead trumpet player
and horn arranger. Valentine’s
He’s Still a
Tower of Power
Mic Gillette opens doors for local students
Mic Gillette in Maui with Tower of Power in 1974.