Oakland native vocalist Rick Stevens, a former lead singer for Tower of Power, passed away on Tuesday after a short battle with cancer.

[photo via Rick Stevens website]

Stevens, the second-ever lead singer of the ever-shuffling lineup, replaced Rufus Miller as the band’s lead singer after their first album, East Bay Grease. He came on to take over lead vocal duties for 1972’s Bump City, which gave the band their first taste of national success, particularly with hit single “You’re Still A Young Man.” He was then replaced by Lenny Williams for the band’s next album.

In 1976, four years removed from the band and struggling with the weight of addiction, Stevens shot and killed three men during a dispute over a botched drug deal. A jury voted for his execution, but the California Supreme Court ruled not long afterward that the death penalty was unconstitutional and sentenced him to life in prison. Stevens spent 36 years in prison, where he detoxed, embraced religion and immersed himself in education programs at several state prisons.

[Photo via SF Chronicle, Jerry Telfer]

After being rehabilitated, Stevens was eventually granted parole in 2012, had sat in with his old band in a touching reunion in 2013 (and again a handful of times after), and was even working on a new project, Rick Stevens & Love Power, when he was diagnosed with cancer. He also made news when he returned to a California prison to perform for the inmates, with an inmate band, in an attempt to inspire the convicts to change the course of their lives after they are released.

You can watch Stevens’ reunion with Tower of Power after being released on January 30, 2013 at Yoshi’s in the band’s native Oakland below (via billy box):

Watch Rick Stevens perform “You’re Still A Young Man” after being released from his lengthy prison sentence at the 9th Annual Autism Benefit at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco in 2013 (via Zwhaler):

 You can also read the tribute to Stevens posted on Tower of Power’s Facebook page by bandleader Emilio Castillo and the remembrance posted by his current band below:

[Cover photo via SF Chronicle, Lance Iversen]