Already an insulin-dependent diabetic, Conte took a routine blood test recently and it came back with abnormal white blood cell counts. He was hospitalized in Los Angeles for three days and underwent two bone marrow biopsies, a liver ultrasound and yet more testing.

As is the case with many musicians, and in part because his diabetes is considered a pre-existing condition, Conte lacks adequate health insurance. He says he’s able to tolerate the particular medication that keeps his leukemia in check, but it’s expensive – as much as $5,000 per month.

Tower of Power and friends of Conte’s have started a fund-raising campaign to help defray those medical costs, through Tower of Power’s website and a “Friends of Bruce Conte” Facebook page.

The band’s guitarist during TOP’s 1970s heyday, he played on some of its biggest hits including providing the distinctive intro on “What is Hip?”

He performed on other singles including “You’re Still A Young Man,” “So Very Hard To Go,” “This Time It’s Real,” and “Bump City,” spanning albums including Bump City, Back To Oakland, Urban Renewal and Ain’t Nothin’ Stopping Us Now.

He joined TOP along with Chester Thompson, Lenny Pickett and Lenny Williams after the band began gaining attention on the West Coast with East Bay Grease.

Conte left Tower of Power in 1979 but subsequently returned in the late ‘90s while maintaining a notable solo career as a highly regarded R&B/jazz performer.