In 1967 -68 I lived in North Beach in San Francisco, playing guitar in a local lounge band. We called ourselves "Four of a Kind." We also jokingly called ourselves to ourselves "the Spic, the Spook, the Wop, and the Mick" -- i.e. Joey (Jose Simón), our Mexican bass player, the black Rick Stevens on vocals (bottom left with the shades, 'fro, and western fringe shirt in the pic above), our Italian drummer, Fred Abruzzo, and me, the Irishman. We eventually added a 5th member on percussion -- Mike Carabello, who would go on to Santana and Woodstock.
Rick Stevens was the first singer for Oakland's Tower of Power, that funky, tight, syncopated horn-fest that vividly put the East Bay on the soul map and played up its Oakland connection -- even championed it -- at a time when the San Francisco scene was getting all of the attention during the '60s. Stevens, who will turn 62 in late February, has been in prison for the last 26 years after receiving two seven-years-to-life sentences for a much more heinous crime: double murder."
He shot up three people," recalls Emilio "Mimi" Castillo, sax player and founding member of the group. "He tied up this lady and left her in a trunk -- pretty gruesome stuff." Although Stevens had been out of the group for a few years at the time of the incident, the media played up the Tower of Power connection anyway, much to the dismay of the band, which already had moved on to singer Lenny Williams. "Rick was a really great guy," says Castillo. "But he got strung out on hard narcotics -- when he was in that state of mind, he was not a nice guy."
The singer's belligerence got him booted from the band, despite many members' still-strong feelings that he was the best vocalist ever for Tower of Power. "Let me tell you something about Rick Stevens," says Castillo with dramatic pause. "That guy was one of the greatest singers that ever lived. Unbelievable. And if it hadn't been for the drugs, he'd have been a huge star." On top of his musical skills, Stevens had a charisma and compelling stage presence. That's his lead vocal on "You're Still a Young Man," which arguably was the band's biggest hit, as well as being the song that Prince claims he lost his virginity to.
Rick/Donald is now 69, and has been before the parole board a number of times. Denied. There are some people arguing ongoing for his parole, but, I don't know. The moral politics of a double murder (one death was ruled self-defense manslaughter). Can there be redemption? I would say 'yes,' but others would surely disagree, and not all of them driven simply by a desire for vengeance.
By all accounts, Rick is "rehabilitated," and a totally productive, model prisoner. One who appears, by all the information that I can glean, to pose no further risk to society. But, is that enough?
Given that my wife now has to now mostly live in a small apartment in Walnut Creek, CA for work -- not all that far from Mule Creek prison -- I feel compelled to go see for myself one of these trips over, and to drive over to Ione and re-connect with my old long-lost musical colleague and friend.
I have a full and rich life, within which I now promote the finest band in Las Vegas, Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns -- a crushingly fine Tower of Power on Red Bull and salsa. I lament that I will likely never have my old friend come sit at my side at my front row table from where I do my gig photography. These cats would blow his mind.
I have no idea why I posted this. Maybe it's just given all the buzz over Michael Jackson's demise. Emilio on Rick: "That guy was one of the greatest singers that ever lived. Unbelievable. And if it hadn't been for the drugs, he'd have been a huge star."
AUGUST 12TH UPDATE
I am now in contact with Rick, and just filled out and returned a "Visitor Approval Request" form. I assume it will be approved, and ASAP thereafter I will be on my way over to see my old friend, for, as he put it, "catching up during lunch at the vending machines." They let you bring in a maximum of $20, LOL. No recording devices (including cameras), no cell phones, no pen/pencils & paper, one photo ID, and your car key alone. Strict dress code: no denim or khaki (and blue or red are discouraged by knowledgeable outsiders -- gang colors). In signing the app, you attest that you understand that the Department of Corrections doesn't do hostage negotiations, so if violent takeover stuff goes down while you're there and you are captured, well, too bad. A bracing thought, that.
NOVEMBER UPDATE
Sadly, Rick was given a three year parole denial. The grounds for this seem to have been tangential and spurious, and his attorney claims there are grounds to appeal their decision in court (though, as a practical matter, no one is gonna take this up pro bono).
I am told that, whereas parole boards in California are by law supposed to be similar in citizenry composition to "a jury of your peers," they are in fact overwhelmingly composed of ex-law enforcement individuals and victims' rights advocacy activists (and, unsurprisingly, tend toward skepticism if not outright hostility toward the inmate going in). Moreover, there is little continuity; you typically never face the same parole board twice, so you're always starting from scratch, with many new people unfamiliar with your case and incarceration record.
Rick had recently had a string of one-year denials, and is no longer opposed for parole by the DA's office, so this was a harsh and unexpected outcome.
It saddens me greatly.
JANUARY 2011 UPDATE
I have been to visit Risk twice now. It was nowhere near as creepy as I thought it might be (though you do know you've just entered serious turf). All of the inmates seem to be on their very best behavior, and are pretty much quite friendly. You don't go out of your way to make eye contact or otherwise engage them, but, again, the atmosphere is pretty congenial overall.
Rick's attorney filed a writ of habeas corpus challenging the October 2009 3-year parole denial. The court agreed and ordered an immediate "show cause" re-hearing, which was held on January 4th, 2011. The Contra Costa County DA's office attended once again, and once again testified that they had no problem with Rick's release.
But, again, the Board denied him, this time citing "severity of the crime," in direct contravention of a 2005 California Supreme Court ruling (Dannenberg 2005).
Rick's attorney will yet again appeal, and thinks the Court will then summarily "rule him [Rick] out of the system," and order that he be paroled within three days. As a practical matter, the lengthy process of all of this means that Rick might be released by September or October should this new challenge prove successful.
We cannot help but wonder whether this is just the parole board finally washing their hands of the case -- put it off on the court to keep their fingerprints off his release (they will effectively have gotten two of their 3-years' denial anyway).
I hope so.
FEB 17TH 2012 UPDATE
I really never thought I'de ever hear this news, but Rick has been granted a parole date. He had yet another Parole Board heard two days ago, and they finally reversed course.
The entire process as we now understand it must take no longer than 120 days, and the Governor could still override the Board's decision and recommendation, so the optimism remains guarded.
But, wow!
I will always be there for him, to help make sure he succeeds and confirms that they made the right decision.
MAY 16th 2012 NOTE
Latest word is that it's in the Governor's hands now. Rick could be paroled by July. Trying not to get my hopes up too far.
___
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Comments
Also, I don't believe that people become criminals because they are addicted to drugs. It's the other way around.
Anyway, it's a shame about Rick.
I've known a fair number of murderers as a result of a decade-plus of prison work. They can be perfectly nice people...but most of them need to stay away from drugs. Oh, wait a minute, the prisons are awash... for some people it's enforced discipline, as found in (the better) prisons that they aren't able to construct internally for themselves.
"I don't believe that people become criminals because they are addicted to drugs. It's the other way around."
THAT I would have to utterly disagree with. "Addiction" is a clinical matter. The proportion of "addicts" who are also criminals is vanishingly small, and for most of those, their very criminality is a to a significant degree a function of the illegality of drugs. That is an empirical matter (one for which the evidence is rather dispositive), not an ideological one. Not that that will change many minds.
Again, thanks for your views.
I probably will go see him, maybe next time Cheryl is back in Walnut Creek and I go over there to hang (she's in San Antonio right now on a project). It'll be kinda surreal. I will indeed report on the experience.
http://thisblksistaspage@wordpress.com
http://thisblksistaspage.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/rick-stevens-is-still-in-jail-and-is-not-a-young-man/
Rick and I are now in contact, and I am today filling out the Authorized Visitor form he sent me.
BTW, in light of your petulant, implicitly scolding tone, might I ask when was the last time YOU visited Rick?
"Implicitly scolding..."?
Not what you think.
I never knew Rick Stevens. As I say on my blog, I was a high school fan of ToP who has wondered about him over the years.
BTW, I'm in Madison, WI and am unemployed. You're closer to him than I am.
I am glad you made contact. Let us know what occurred. Too bad they won't let you take pictures of him.
As I said before, do tell him he is remembered and that people want to see him freed.
I would like to correct some erroneous information that is circulating around. Regarding Rick’s case, he shot three drug dealers, to whom he owed about $3,000 – they had beaten his friend and threatened his family. The first shooting was ruled manslaughter in self-defense, the other two as first degree murder, although those shootings also involved an element of perceived immediate danger on Rick’s part. Rick received a sentence of 7-years-to-life.
I have posted a lot of information about Rick’s case, and what he has been doing during his incarceration on the Tower of Power message board, go to the TOP website for a link to the message board.
The article written by Katy St. Clair for http://www.eastbayexpress.com (1/30/02) contains several errors, and a couple of years ago I wrote a response to eastbayexpress correcting the errors. Here is the full text of my response to the article:
“The “Free Rick Stevens” article contains several errors, which my comment corrects. Rick Stevens was the second lead singer for Tower of Power; Rufus Miller was the first. The shootings for which Rick is in prison involved drugs, and all three victims were drug dealers – the situation was desperate and Rick thought his life was in immediate danger in each case. The woman tied up and placed in a car trunk was released unharmed – in that particular situation Rick thought (in his drug-addled mind) that it was the best thing he could do to keep her out of harms way in a meeting with some dealers that he was afraid would go bad (and it did).
Rick left Tower of Power voluntarily – he was not “booted out due to belligerence”. The most egregious error in this article is Emilio Castillo’s statement that when Rick has gone to parole hearings, he has “… always managed to show up to the hearing wasted or in a fighting mood.” This is an absolute and complete falsehood. Rick kicked the drugs “cold turkey” during his first year in jail and has been clean ever since. When Rick has gone to parole hearings he has always been well prepared, calm and polite to the board members. And finally, Rick has been on good behavior for the entire time, not just several years.
I have known Rick since 1979, and we have discussed his case at length; his drug addiction, the whole scenario leading up to the shootings, and his great remorse over the victims who lost their lives. Rick has accepted full responsibility, and will be the first to tell you that he deserved to do some time. In my opinion he has done his time and is ready in every way, mentally, spiritually and emotionally to be released. Rick wants to give back, working with troubled young people to help them learn from his mistakes; I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding, hard-working citizen and an asset to his community.” (End of my response to the St. Clair article.)
Rick and Emilio have spoken since the above article was written; Rick apologized to Emilio for the harm and stress the bad publicity caused the band, and Emilio apologized to Rick for the negative and untrue things he has said about Rick to the press. They have patched things up and are planning to work together when Rick gets out.
As I mentioned previously Rick has worked at clerical jobs since early in his incarceration, and has gained an excellent reputation as a reliable, trustworthy, quick-thinking worker who learns fast – in fact, correctional staff have specifically requested that Rick be assigned to their office.
When correctional staff want to put something positive in the official record about an inmate, they write a brief statement called a “laudatory chrono”. Rick has amassed a large stack of laudatory chronos; many of the staff at the various prisons where Rick has been housed over the years have thought very highly of him.
In addition to positive statements from correctional staff, the judge who presided over Rick’s trial, the late Honorable Judge John McInerney, started writing letters in 1988 stating that he had no problem with Rick being released from prison.
The D.A.’s office for Santa Clara Co. has indicated to the CA Board of Prison Terms (BPT) that they have no problem with Rick being released. In fact at Rick’s Februay 2006 parole hearing, the Asst. D.A. told the Board that if Rick was released that day, he would be happy to give Rick a ride home.
As I mentioned in my response to the St. Clair article, I have discussed the case at length with Rick, and I can say without hesitation that Rick feels genuine remorse for the lives lost by his hand, and he will carry a heavy burden over that for the rest of his life. Rick wrote letters to the families of the victims, expressing his sorrow over his actions, and the pain it caused them.
In addition to working, education and counseling, Rick continues to sing. Throughout his incarceration, Rick has performed at two or three large shows every year out on “the yard”, for both inmates and correctional staff. Rick called me after his most recent how to tell me how it went, and he said his voice is strong and he sounds as good as ever. Rick also sings at church services every Sunday in the prison chapel.
Rick has received a lot of letters recently as result of the postings on the Tower of Power message board, and also letters of support written to the Board of Prison Terms. Rick is very grateful for all the support and encouragement he has received over the years, and he enjoys hearing from people. Rick replies to all letters, and says “Thank you!” to all his supporters.
That is just a brief summary of all the information I have posted on the Tower of Power message board, see the board for more.
Regarding my response to the East Bay Express article, that error-filled article keeps turning up like a bad penny; this is the third time I've had to re-post the response I originally posted at East Bay Express. It's getting to the point now where I periodically do internet searches on Rick's name, to correct all the mis-information floating around out there.
G. Stevenson
I have been following updates about Rick for a few years now. Thank you for posting.
I am a friend of Ricks son and am looking for him. If you have contact with him please tell him about this post. Jay R if you see this please e-mail me. onoticing@yahoo.com A Friend.