a horn player in berkeley called steve hokla happened to hear them one night. >> they just knocked methey played can't turn you lose and all these songs i have. and i remember going after and saying, you have a great band. and i said there's only one problem. you have to problem on your base. and i told him by the way i play bass and he had me go in and been playing with them since 1968. >> reporter: since then, emilio has been giving the songs a tune. >> if i could play the topples nightclubs in sacramento i would have hit the big time. >> ♪ >> so i just said, emilio we ought to right our own stuff. and we did. one of the first we wrote was still young man. that song is 45 years now, isn't that a trip. >> reporter: along came rock empresario rick james. one came from a place called beyond broadway at jack london square. >> we played this there every monday night and it was really a scene, it was happening. you know there would be a jam session and just everybody showed up. you know just talking about going down to the nightclub. i was dancing gym, gym -- jim, jim anderson and the sec