In a relatively short time period, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, Tommy Castro has gone from playing local venues to international fame. For at least two years, he has even been a part of the B.B. King Festival Tour, which this year played thirty-nine different domestic venues. He has also been the house band on NBC-TV’s Comedy Showcase, for three seasons. Working as the house band on NBC’s Comedy Showcase, airing after Saturday Night Live, only boosted his visibility and name value. Castro’s music has also been featured in network television programs such as “Nash Bridges” and “The Young and the Restless.” He has won regional awards and has been featured on the cover of a national blues magazine, “Blues Revue.”
Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Castro started playing guitar at the tender age of ten. Initially inspired by Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, and Elvin Bishop, he started the inevitable journey into the roots of his heroes and discovered and quickly became enamored of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Freddie King. His vocal styling came from constant listening to Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Otis Redding.
Castro spent many years playing with bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. Castro joined Warner Brothers artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s. The much-loved rocking soul band had a huge fan base and toured the U.S. constantly. He honed his chops with the band on the road for two years, performing live all across the country and backing major artists like Carla Thomas and Albert King.
Returning to San Francisco, he formed the Tommy Castro Band in 1991, which was named Club Band Of The Year for the Bay Area in 1993, and again in 1994. Regular band members have included Randy MacDonald (bass/vocals), Keith Crossan (saxophone/vocals), Billy Lee Lewis (drums/vocals), and Chris Sandoval (drums/percussion).
In 1997, he won Bammies for Outstanding Blues Musician and for Outstanding Blues Album for his debut release on Blind Pig Records, Exception to the Rule. The band continued to record with Blind Pig over several albums. Can’t Keep A Good Man Down received continuous airplay and regular fan requests on well over 400 radio stations nationwide.
Live at the Fillmore was released in early 2000, and with everyone from industry insiders to B.B. King singing his praises, Castro appeared to be headed for bigger and better things. Blind Pig closed the books on their association with Castro in 2002 by releasing the career retrospective The Essential Tommy Castro.
In 2001 the Tommy Castro Band moved over to 33rd Street Records for Guilty Of Love and then to Heart And Soul for 2003’s Gratitude, a cover album of Castro’s greatest heroes, followed by Triple Trouble (with Jimmy Hall and Lloyd Jones) later that same year from Telarc.
The eclectic flavour of 2005’s Soul Shaker, marking his return to Blind Pig, featured more original compositions from Castro, who wrote or co-wrote all the tracks. Although horns and guitars still dominated, the fusion was more varied. Notable tracks included the wistful “Anytime Soon” and “The Crossanova”, characterised by Crossan’s funky flute.
Tommy Castro and his brilliant band have captured a hold of legions of fans and critics alike around the world with their mesmerizing blend of rock, blues and Memphis soul. On the next release – Painkiller – they continued to explore the boundaries of American roots music.
On this CD, Castro teamed up with producer John Porter, renowned for his work with a Who’s Who list of artists such as Los Lonely Boys, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Santana, B.B. King, Elvis Costello, adn Buddy Guy. Said Castro, “When I started looking for a producer, I realized that John had produced some of my favorite records of the last ten years. After working with him in the studio, I understand now why that is. With John, everything just seems to be right; all the parts work and flow together.” With the Tommy Castro Band anchoring the sessions, Porter fashioned a most tasteful album from the many talented parts of Castro’s patented rock ‘n’ soul music. Special guests Coco Montoya, Angela Strehli, David Maxwell, and Teresa James join the fun.
In 2009, Alligator Records has set an August 11 street date for Hard Believer, the label debut from Tommy Castro.
Gotta Serve Somebody
Tommy Castro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You might like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Serve somebody, serve somebody
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
You might be a rock 'n' roll man, prancing on the stage
Plenty of drugs at your command and women in a cage
You might be a businessman or some high degree thief
They may call you 'Doctor', they may call you 'Chief'
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Oh, serve somebody, yeah, yeah, serve somebody
Oh, it may be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Now, you may be a State Trooper, you might be a young Turk
You may even be the head of some great big TV network
You may be rich or poor and you may be blind or chained
You might be living in another country under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Oh, serve somebody, serve somebody
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're still gonna have to serve somebody
Maybe a construction worker working on a home
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome
You may own guns, you may even own tanks
You may be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Oh yeah, serve somebody, serve somebody
Oh, it might be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Now you can call me Terry or you might call me Moore
You may call me David or you might call me Coe
You can call me RJ or you can call me Ray
You can call me anything, I don't care what you say
You're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Oh, serve somebody, serve somebody
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a rock 'n' roll star, prancing on the stage
You got plenty of drugs at your command, you got women in a cage
You might be a big businessman or some high degree thief
Now they might call you 'Doctor', they might call you 'Chief'
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Serve somebody, serve somebody
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
It might be the devil, it might be, it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Oh man, you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
Serve somebody, serve somebody
Serve somebody, serve somebody
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
Serve somebody, serve somebody
Serve somebody, serve somebody
Serve somebody, serve somebody
Somebody, somebody
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
In Tommy Castro's song "Gotta Serve Somebody," he emphasizes the concept of servitude regardless of an individual's social status, profession, or overall disposition. The opening lyrics highlight how one's position in society does not prevent them from serving someone or something. Whether an ambassador to England or France, a gambler, heavyweight champion, or socialite, they still have to serve authority higher than themselves. Moreover, the chorus repeatedly emphasizes this point that "you're gonna have to serve somebody," whether it is the devil or the Lord.
The subsequent verses delve into more concrete examples of who would be serving who. For instance, rock 'n' roll stars, businessmen, high degree thieves, and state troopers still have to serve someone. Even if they have "plenty of drugs at [their] command and women in a cage," they still have to play the game of servitude. Similarly, rich or poor, blind or chained, someone's landlord or owner of banks, they still have to serve somebody. The final verse sums this idea up, stating that it does not matter how others view, call, or categorize them, as ultimately, they are going to have to serve someone.
Interestingly, this song portrays different ways individuals give themselves up to a master, whether it is voluntary or by coercion. Thus, Gotta Serve Somebody becomes a reminder that people are ultimately not in control of their lives and that it is a fact that everyone should come to terms with.
Line by Line Meaning
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may hold high positions and represent countries
You might like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may enjoy taking chances and dancing
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be the best in your field and well known around the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls
You may be wealthy and attend high society events
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
No matter who you are, you will have to answer to someone higher
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
The higher power could either be good or evil
You might be a rock 'n' roll man, prancing on the stage
You may be a musician, performing for crowds
Plenty of drugs at your command and women in a cage
You may have access to drugs and objectify women
You might be a businessman or some high degree thief
You may be involved in legal or illegal business dealings
They may call you 'Doctor', they may call you 'Chief'
You may have important titles and positions
Now, you may be a State Trooper, you might be a young Turk
You may be in law enforcement or a young rebel
You may even be the head of some great big TV network
You may have a lot of power and influence in media
You may be rich or poor and you may be blind or chained
You may come from any socioeconomic background and face obstacles
You might be living in another country under another name
You may be in hiding or living in a different country
Maybe a construction worker working on a home
You may work in manual labor to build homes
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome
You may live in luxurious homes or unique structures
You may own guns, you may even own tanks
You may own weapons and military equipment
You may be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks
You may be a property owner or banker
Now you can call me Terry or you might call me Moore
The singer introduces himself with different possible names
You can call me RJ or you can call me Ray
The artist presents more possible names for himself
You're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
The repetition emphasizes that everyone must serve a higher power
It might be the devil, it might be, it might be the Lord
The higher power can be positive or negative
Oh man, you're gonna have to serve somebody, serve somebody
The singer reinforces that everyone will have to serve someone
Somebody, somebody
The repetition emphasizes the importance of the message
It might be the devil or it might be the Lord
The higher power can be good or bad
Contributed by Joshua H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.