Blood, Sweat & Tears
Encyclopedia
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American
music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City
. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles. What the band is most known for, from its start, is the fusing of rock, blues, pop music, horn arrangements, and jazz improvisation into a hybrid that came to be known as "jazz-rock". Unlike "jazz fusion
" bands, which tend toward virtuostic displays of instrumental facility and some experimentation with electric instruments, the songs of Blood, Sweat & Tears merged the stylings of rock
, pop
and R&B/soul music
with big band
, while also adding elements of 20th Century Classical and small combo
jazz traditions.
, Jim Fielder
, Fred Lipsius
, Randy Brecker
, Jerry Weiss
, Dick Halligan
, Steve Katz
, Howard Levy
, and Bobby Colomby
formed the original band. The creation of the group was inspired by the "brass-rock" ideas of The Buckinghams
and its producer, James William Guercio, as well as the early 1960s Roulette-era Maynard Ferguson
Orchestra (according to Kooper's autobiography).
"Blood, Sweat & Tears" was the name chosen by Al Kooper, inspired after a late-night gig in which Kooper played with a bloody hand. Kooper was the group's initial bandleader, having insisted on that position based on his experiences with The Blues Project
, his previous band with Steve Katz, which had been organized as an egalitarian
collective
. Jim Fielder was from Frank Zappa
's Mothers Of Invention and had played briefly with Buffalo Springfield
. But undoubtedly, Kooper's fame as a high-profile contributor to various historic sessions of Bob Dylan
, Jimi Hendrix
and others was the catalyst for the prominent debut of Blood, Sweat & Tears in the musical counterculture
of the mid-sixties.
Al, Bobby, Steve & Jim did a few shows as a quartet at the Cafe Au Go Go
in New York City in September 1967 opening for Moby Grape
. Fred Lipsius then joined the others two months later. A few more shows were played as a quintet, including one at the Fillmore East
in New York. Lipsius then recruited the other three, who were New York jazz horn players he knew. The final lineup debuted late November ’67 at The Scene in NYC. The band was a hit with the audience, who liked the innovative fusion of jazz
with acid rock
and psychedelia. After signing to Columbia Records
, the group released perhaps one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the late 1960s, Child Is Father to the Man
, featuring the Harry Nilsson
song, "Without Her", and perhaps Kooper's most memorable blues number, "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know". The album cover was considered quite innovative showing the band members sitting and standing with child-sized versions of themselves. Characterized by Kooper's penchant for studio gimmickry, the album slowly picked up in sales amidst growing artistic differences between the founding members. Colomby and Katz wanted to move Kooper exclusively to keyboard and composing duties, while hiring a stronger vocalist for the group.
The music of Blood, Sweat & Tears slowly achieved commercial success alongside similarly configured ensembles such as Chicago
and the Electric Flag
. Kooper was forced out of the group and became a record producer
for the Columbia label, but not before arranging some songs that would be on the next BS&T album. The group's trumpeters, Randy Brecker and Jerry Weiss, also left after the album was released, and were replaced by Lew Soloff
and Chuck Winfield.
Brecker joined Horace Silver
's band with his brother Michael
, and together they eventually formed their own horn-dominated musical outfits, Dreams
and The Brecker Brothers. Jerry Weiss went on to start the similarly-styled group Ambergris.
and Laura Nyro
before deciding upon David Clayton-Thomas
, a Canadian
singer, born in Surrey, England. Reportedly, folk singer Judy Collins
had seen him perform at a New York City club and was so taken and moved by his performance that she told her friends Bobby Colomby and Steve Katz about him (knowing that they were looking for a new lead singer to front the band). With her prodding, they came to see him perform and were so impressed with him that Clayton-Thomas was offered the role of lead singer in a re-constituted Blood Sweat & Tears. Halligan took up the organ chores and Jerry Hyman joined on trombone. New trumpeters Lew Soloff
and Chuck Winfield brought the band up to nine total members.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
, the group's self-titled second album, was produced by James William Guercio and released in late 1968. The album was much more pop-oriented, featuring decidedly fewer compositions from within the band. (David Clayton-Thomas, however, had already mounted a solo career as a singer/songwriter over this same time period, beginning with an album released in 1969 by Decca
). The record quickly hit the top of the charts, winning Album of the Year
at the Grammy Award
s over The Beatles
' Abbey Road, among other nominees. Blood, Sweat & Tears spawned three major hit singles: a cover of Berry Gordy
and Brenda Holloway
's "You've Made Me So Very Happy
", Clayton-Thomas' "Spinning Wheel
", and a version of Laura Nyro
's "And When I Die
." All three singles reached #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart. The commercial and critical acclaim enjoyed by the band in 1969 culminated in an appearance at the Woodstock Festival
, in which the band enjoyed headliner status.
Arguably, as a result of Al Kooper's departure, Blood, Sweat & Tears had difficulty maintaining its status as a counterculture icon at a time when record company executives deemed this characteristic importance as a tool to lure young consumers. This was compounded by a United States Department of State
-sponsored tour of Eastern Europe in 1970. Any voluntary association with the government was highly unpopular at the time and the band was ridiculed for it. In retrospect, it is now known that the State Department subtly requested the tour in exchange for more amicability on the issuance of a visa to Clayton-Thomas.
After returning to the U.S., the group released Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
; which was another popular success, spawning hit singles with a cover of Carole King
's "Hi-De-Ho" and another Clayton-Thomas composition, "Lucretia MacEvil". While this was a successful attempt to re-create the amalgam of styles found on the previous album, the band once again depended almost exclusively on cover material. Album reviews sometimes focused solely upon the band's willingness to work with the U.S. State Department, without bothering to discuss the actual music. Compounding the image problems of the band was a decision to play at Caesars Palace
on the Las Vegas Strip
, widely seen at the time as a mainstream venue for acts that did not engage in radical politics. In 1970, the band provided music for the soundtrack of the film comedy The Owl and the Pussycat
, which starred Barbra Streisand
and George Segal
further damaging the group's underground reputation.
Following this period of controversy, the group reconvened with jazz writer Don Heckman serving as their producer and, with Dave Bargeron
replacing Jerry Hyman, recorded material that would comprise their fourth album, BS&T 4
. For the first time since the first album, Blood, Sweat & Tears presented a repertoire of songs composed almost entirely from within the group. Included on the album is a cover of former member Al Kooper's "Holy John (John The Baptist)". Loaded with hooks and a wide variety of moods (featuring such songs as "Go Down Gamblin'", "Lisa, Listen To Me", "High on a Mountain", "Redemption"), Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 broke into the album charts, resulting in a gold record for the group. Unfortunately, none of the singles from the album managed to land in the Top 30 on any of the singles charts, and the period after the release of the fourth album began the group's commercial decline.
left and was replaced by jazz legend Joe Henderson
(who did not stay long enough to record), before Lou Marini
settled into the new lineup. Another founding member, Dick Halligan, also departed, replaced by jazz pianist Larry Willis
, and Swedish
guitarist Georg Wadenius
joined as lead guitarist around the same time. Amidst the personnel changes, a Greatest Hits album was released, which hit the top 20 and eventually went gold. This record would be the band's final gold album.
During this period of time, a proliferation of bands employing the brass-rock stylings of the group began to compete in the popular music marketplace. Among these groups were Chase
, Ides of March and Lighthouse
, offering testimony to the legacy of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
The new edition of Blood, Sweat & Tears released New Blood, which found the group moving into a more overtly jazz-fusion repertoire. The album broke through the top-40 charts (the last BS&T LP to do so) and spawned a single ("So Long Dixie", chart peak: 44) that received some airplay. Also included on the record was a cover version of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage
," featuring the voice/guitar soloing of Georg Wadenius.
In mid-1973, Katz, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the group's leaning towards jazz fusion, decided to leave. Winfield departed as well and was replaced by Tom Malone
.
Blood, Sweat & Tears' next album, No Sweat (1973), continued in a jazz-fusion vein and featured intricate horn work. The 1974 release Mirror Image saw the addition of vocalist/saxophonist Jerry LaCroix (formerly of Edgar Winter
's White Trash), sax player Bill Tillman, bassist Ron McClure
and the exodus of Tom Malone and longtime members Lew Soloff
and Jim Fielder
. This recording features the adoption of a sound pitched between Philly Soul
and the mid-1970s albums by Herbie Hancock
's Headhunters, along with aspirations to Chick Corea
's jazz-fusion group Return to Forever
.
in 1975. This album charted higher than any of their previous albums since New Blood. This was chiefly the result of an entry in the singles charts with a cover of the Beatles' "Got To Get You Into My Life
". But it still did not sell as well as albums from the group's 1969-71 commercial peak period. They released a final album for Columbia Records, More Than Ever, before the last original band member, Bobby Colomby, left in 1976. The band then signed a new contract with ABC Records
, with Colomby serving as the next album's executive producer and retaining sole ownership of the group's name, despite his no longer appearing on stage with them. Their sole album for ABC, Brand New Day, did not fare well in the charts and the group undertook a European tour in early 1978 to promote the album that ended abruptly after saxophonist Gregory Herbert died of a drug overdose in Amsterdam on January 31, 1978. Rocked by this shocking turn of events, the group returned home and temporarily ceased activity.
In 1979, David Clayton-Thomas
decided to continue Blood, Sweat & Tears with an entirely new lineup that consisted of Canadian
musicians. The group signed to Avenue Records subsidiary label LAX (MCA Records
), and with producer and arranger Jerry Goldstein
, recorded the album Nuclear Blues. The album was yet another attempt to reinvent the group, showcasing the band in a funk
sound environment that recalled such acts as Tower of Power
and LAX labelmates War
(with whom BS&T did several shows in 1980). The album, unfortunately, was regarded by many Blood, Sweat & Tears fans as uncharacteristic of the group's best work. Following more touring, including Australia, this incarnation of the group disbanded in 1981.
Since he did not own the rights to the Blood Sweat & Tears name, Clayton-Thomas attempted to restart his failed solo career in 1983 after taking some time off. This caused complications during his initial months on the road when promoters would book his group and instead use the Blood, Sweat & Tears name on the marquee. Consequently, his manager at the time, Larry Dorr, negotiated a licensing deal between himself and Bobby Colomby
in 1984 for rights to tour using the band's name. For 19 years afterwards, Clayton-Thomas toured the concert circuit with a constantly changing roster of players as "Blood, Sweat & Tears" until his final departure in 2004. Clayton-Thomas now does occasional shows using only his name in promotional efforts.The band continued on without Clayton-Thomas with what has been said is the greatest line up ever. Larry Dorr has been the bands manager (and much more)for over 30 years now. Blood Sweat & Tears is still one of the most popular touring acts of all time. At last count, the overall number of BS&T members since the beginning is up around 130 total people—roster below.
On March 12 & 13, 1993, Al Kooper organized two shows at the Bottom Line in NYC that were advertised as "A Silver Anniversary Celebration Of The Classic Album The Child Is Father To The Man", which featured Al, Randy Brecker, Jim Fielder, Steve Katz and Fred Lipsius playing together for the first time in twenty five years, accompanied by Anton Fig
, Tom Malone, Lew Soloff, John Simon and Jimmy Vivino
, as well as a two woman chorus and string section.
The following year, in early February 1994, Al returned to the Bottom Line for his 50th birthday celebration in which he played with members of his new band plus the Blues Project & BS&T. The BS&T lineup at this show was the same as the 1993 Silver Anniversary show, with the exception of Will Lee
sitting in for Fielder and John Sebastian
(ex-Loving Spoonful) contributing harmonica. Colomby would not allow Kooper to use the name Blood, Sweat & Tears, so the two reunions were billed as "Child Is Father of The Man". This second show appeared as the CD Soul of a Man in 1995. According to page 20 of the CD's liner notes, Steve Katz elected not to allow his performances onto the CD, which were digitally replaced by Jimmy Vivino. Bassist Jim Fielder is said to have added some parts to the CD as well.
Blood, Sweat & Tears continues its heavy touring schedule throughout the world with its current line-up of members, some of whom have been with the band previously during the past two decades. Under the direction of Larry Dorr and founding member Bobby Colomby
, the band has enjoyed something of a resurgence. Blood, Sweat & Tears donates money through its "Elsie Monica Colomby" music scholarship fund to deserving schools and students who need help in prolonging their musical education, such as the victims of Hurricane Katrina
. The year 2007 witnessed the band's first world tour in a decade. Since late 2005, The band has been touring world wide with a refeshed line up. 2011 saw BS&T and Chicago co-headlining a Jazz festival in Stuttgart Germany. All of the band's albums, with the exception of Brand New Day, are currently available on compact disc
. BS&T's first four albums were reissued by Sony Records in remastered editions (typically with bonus material), except for its third album, which has been reissued by Mobile Fidelity. The later Columbia albums have been reissued by Wounded Bird Records
, and Rhino Records has reissued Nuclear Blues. Brand New Day was issued on CD in Russia
in 2002, although the disc may not have received authorization from copyright holders.
: keyboards, vocals (1967–1968)
Randy Brecker
: trumpet, flugelhorn (1967–1968)
Jerry Weiss
: trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (1967–1968)
Fred Lipsius
: alto sax, keyboards (1967–1972)
Dick Halligan
: keyboards, trombone, horns, flute, backing vocals (1967–1972)
Steve Katz
: guitar, harmonica, lute, mandolin, vocals (1967–1973, 2008– )
Jim Fielder
: bass, guitar, backing vocals (1967–1974)
Bobby Colomby
: drums, percussion, backing vocals (1967–1977)
David Clayton-Thomas
: vocals, guitar (1968–1972, 1974–1981, 1984–2004)
Lew Soloff
: trumpet, flugelhorn (1968–1973)
Chuck Winfield : trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (1968–1973)
Jerry Hyman : trombones, recorder (1968–1970)
Dave Bargeron
: trombone, tuba, horns, bass, backing vocals (1970–1978)
Bobby Doyle : vocals, piano (1972)
Joe Henderson
: tenor sax (1972)
Lou Marini Jr.
: tenor & soprano sax, flute (1972–1974)
Larry Willis
: keyboards (1972–1978)
Georg Wadenius
: guitar, vocals (1972–1975)
Jerry Fisher : vocals (1972–1974)
Tom Malone
: trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn, alto sax, bass (1973–1974)
Jerry LaCroix : vocals, alto sax, flute, harmonica (1974)
Ron McClure
: bass (1974–1975, 1976)
Tony Klatka : trumpet, horns (1974–1978)
Johnny Madrid: trumpet, flugelhorn (1974)
Bill Tillman : alto sax, flute, clarinet, backing vocals (1974–1977)
Luther Kent
: vocals (1974–1976)
Joe Giorgianni : trumpet, flugelhorn (1974–1975)
Jaco Pastorius
: bass (1975–1976)
Steve Khan
: guitar (1975)
Mike Stern
: guitar (1975–1977)
Keith Jones : bass (1976)
Danny Trifan : bass (1976–1977)
Forrest Buchtell : trumpet (1975–1977)
Don Alias
: percussion (1975–1976)
Roy McCurdy
: drums (1976–1977)
Jeff Richman : guitar (1976 fill in for Stern)
Randy Bernsen : guitar (1977)
Barry Finnerty
: guitar (1977–1978)
Neil Stubenhaus
: bass (1977–1978)
Gregory Herbert
: saxophone (1977–1978)
Michael Lawrence ; trumpet (1977)
Chris Albert : trumpet (1977–1978)
Bobby Economou : drums (1977–1978, 1979–1981, 1994–1995)
Kenny Marco : guitar (1979)
David Piltch : bass (1979–1980)
Joe Sealy : keyboards (1979)
Bruce Cassidy : trumpet, flugelhorn (1979–1980)
Earl Seymour : sax, flute (1979–1981)
Steve Kennedy : sax, flute (1979)
Sally Chappis : drums (1979)
Harvey Kogan : sax, flute (1979)
Jack Scarangella : drums (1979)
Vernon Dorge : sax, flute, vuvuzela
(1979–1981)
Robert Piltch : guitar (1979–1980)
Richard Martinez : keyboards (1979–1980)
Wayne Pedzwater : bass (1980–1981)
Peter Harris : guitar (1980–1981)
Lou Pomanti : keyboards (1980–1981)
Mic Gillette
: trumpet (1980–1981)
Steve Guttman : trumpet (1985–2005)
Dave Gellis : guitar (1985–1990, 1996, 1998 fill in, 2005– )
Ray Peterson : bass (1985–1986)
Scott Kreitzer : sax, flute (1985–1986)
Teddy Mulet : trombone (1985–1986), trumpet (2005– )
Barry Danielian : trumpet (1985–1986)
Richard Sussman : keyboards (1985–1987)
Randy Andos : trombone (1986)
Tom Timko : sax, flute (1986–1987, 1995, 1998–2001, 2005–2008, 2009–2010)
Tom DeFaria : drums (1985–1986)
John Conte : bass (1986–1987)
Steve Conte
: guitar (1986 fill in)
Jeff Gellis : bass (1987–1990)
Dave Panichi
: trombone (1987–1988, 1997–1998)
Glenn McClelland
: keyboards (1987–1993, 1998, 2005– )
David Riekenberg : sax, flute (1987–1990, 1995–1998)
Jerry Sokolov
: trumpet (1987–1994)
Graham Hawthorne : drums (1987–1988, 1989–1991)
Van Romaine : drums (1988–1989)
Neil Capolongo : drums (1991–1993)
Peter Abbott
: drums (fill in early 1990s)
Charley Gordon : trombone (1987–1994, 2001)
Wayne Schuster : sax, flute (1990–1991)
Larry DeBari : guitar, vocals (1990–1997)
Gary Foote
: bass (1990–1994, 1996–2004, 2005– )
Jack Bashcow : sax, flute (1992)
Tim Ries : sax, flute (1992–1993, 1993–1995)
Charlie Cole : sax, flute (1993)
Matt King keyboards (1994–1998)
Mike Mancini : keyboards (fill in '80s/'90s)
Franck Amsallem
keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Henry Hey : keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Ted Kooshian
keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Cliff Korman keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Mike DuClos bass : (1994–1996)
James "Hambone" Hamlin bass: (1995 fill in)
Jonathan Peretz : drums (1995–1997)
Craig Johnson : trumpet (1994–1998)
Matt Milmerstadt drums : (1995, 1998)
Tom Guarna : guitar (1997–1998)
Jon Owens : trumpet (1998–2000)
Charles Pillow : sax, flute (fill in 1998)
Brian Delaney : drums (1998, 2001)
Dave Stahl : trumpet (fill in 1995–1999)
Winston Byrd : trumpet (fill in 1998)
Dave Pietro
: sax, flute (fill in 1998)
Dale Kirkland : trombone (1995–1996, 1998, 1999–2001, 2002–2006)
Pat Hallaran : trombone (1998–1999)
James Fox : guitar (1998–2000)
Dan Zank : keyboards (1998–2000)
Zach Danziger : drums (1998–2001)
Joe Mosello : trumpet (2000–2002)
Gregg Sullivan : guitar (2000–2004)
Phil Magallanes : keyboards (2000–2001)
Andrea Valentini : drums (2001– )
Darcy Hepner : sax, flute (1999 fill in, 2001–2004)
John Samorian : keyboards (2001–2003)
Nick Marchione : trumpet (2002–2004)
Eric Cortright : keyboards (2003–2004)
Leo Huppert: bass (2004)
Steve Jankowski: trumpet (2005– )
Rob Paparozzi
: vocals, harmonica (2005–2011 )
Thomas Conner : vocals (fill in 2006 & 2007)
Jens Wendelboe: trombone (2006– )
Chris Tedesco : trumpet (fill in for Mulet 2006–2007)
Brian Steel : trumpet (fill in for Mulet 2008)
Bill Churchville : sax (fill in for Timko 2008)
Ken Gioffre : sax (2010- )
Jon Pruitt : keyboards (fill in for McClelland 2010)
Ralph Bowen : sax (fill in for Gioffre 2011)
Dave Anderson : bass (fill in for Foote 2011)
Jason Paige : vocals (2011- )
Jon Pruitt : keyboards (fill in for McClelland 2011)
(Roster provided by Jim Mullen)
Dave Gellis : guitar
Glenn McClelland
: keyboards
Gary Foote
: bass
Andrea Valentini : drums
Teddy Mulet : trumpet
Steve Jankowski : trumpet
Jens Wendelboe : trombone
Ken Gioffre : saxophone
Compilation albums:
Soundtracks
Charted singles
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles. What the band is most known for, from its start, is the fusing of rock, blues, pop music, horn arrangements, and jazz improvisation into a hybrid that came to be known as "jazz-rock". Unlike "jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
" bands, which tend toward virtuostic displays of instrumental facility and some experimentation with electric instruments, the songs of Blood, Sweat & Tears merged the stylings of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B/soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
with big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, while also adding elements of 20th Century Classical and small combo
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
jazz traditions.
The Al Kooper era
Al KooperAl Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
, Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder is an American bassist, best known for his work as an original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears....
, Fred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius was the original saxophonist and arranger for the jazz-rock band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, for which he played alto saxophone and piano...
, Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
, Jerry Weiss
Jerry Weiss
Jerry Weiss is an American trumpet/flugelhorn player, best known as a founding member of the jazz fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears....
, Dick Halligan
Dick Halligan
Richard Halligan is an American musician and composer, best known as a founding member of the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears....
, Steve Katz
Steve Katz (musician)
Steve Katz is a guitarist and record producer who is best known as a member of the rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears. Katz was an original member of the rock bands The Blues Project and American Flyer...
, Howard Levy
Howard Levy
Howard Levy is a Grammy Award–winning, American harmonicist, pianist, composer, and producer....
, and Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby is an innovative jazz-rock fusion drummer, and an original member of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears...
formed the original band. The creation of the group was inspired by the "brass-rock" ideas of The Buckinghams
The Buckinghams
The Buckinghams are an American Sunshine Pop band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top selling acts of 1967. The band dissolved in 1970 but reformed in 1980 and continue to tour throughout the United States....
and its producer, James William Guercio, as well as the early 1960s Roulette-era Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
Orchestra (according to Kooper's autobiography).
"Blood, Sweat & Tears" was the name chosen by Al Kooper, inspired after a late-night gig in which Kooper played with a bloody hand. Kooper was the group's initial bandleader, having insisted on that position based on his experiences with The Blues Project
Blues Project
The Blues Project is a band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and originally split up in 1967. While their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles, they are most remembered as one of the earliest practitioners of psychedelic rock, as well as one...
, his previous band with Steve Katz, which had been organized as an egalitarian
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
collective
Collectivism
Collectivism is any philosophic, political, economic, mystical or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivists usually focus on community, society, or nation...
. Jim Fielder was from Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's Mothers Of Invention and had played briefly with Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
. But undoubtedly, Kooper's fame as a high-profile contributor to various historic sessions of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and others was the catalyst for the prominent debut of Blood, Sweat & Tears in the musical counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
of the mid-sixties.
Al, Bobby, Steve & Jim did a few shows as a quartet at the Cafe Au Go Go
Cafe Au Go Go
The Cafe au Go Go was a Greenwich Village night club located in the basement of 152 Bleecker Street. The club featured many well known musical groups, folksingers and comedy acts between the opening in February 1964 until closing in October 1969. Originally owned by Howard Solomon who sold the club...
in New York City in September 1967 opening for Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
. Fred Lipsius then joined the others two months later. A few more shows were played as a quintet, including one at the Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
in New York. Lipsius then recruited the other three, who were New York jazz horn players he knew. The final lineup debuted late November ’67 at The Scene in NYC. The band was a hit with the audience, who liked the innovative fusion of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
with acid rock
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
and psychedelia. After signing to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, the group released perhaps one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the late 1960s, Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man is the debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968. It reached number 47 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.-History:...
, featuring the Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
song, "Without Her", and perhaps Kooper's most memorable blues number, "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know". The album cover was considered quite innovative showing the band members sitting and standing with child-sized versions of themselves. Characterized by Kooper's penchant for studio gimmickry, the album slowly picked up in sales amidst growing artistic differences between the founding members. Colomby and Katz wanted to move Kooper exclusively to keyboard and composing duties, while hiring a stronger vocalist for the group.
The music of Blood, Sweat & Tears slowly achieved commercial success alongside similarly configured ensembles such as Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
and the Electric Flag
Electric Flag
The Electric Flag was a blues rock soul group, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other well-known musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield formed the Electric Flag in 1967, following his stint...
. Kooper was forced out of the group and became a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for the Columbia label, but not before arranging some songs that would be on the next BS&T album. The group's trumpeters, Randy Brecker and Jerry Weiss, also left after the album was released, and were replaced by Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...
and Chuck Winfield.
Brecker joined Horace Silver
Horace Silver
Horace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
's band with his brother Michael
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
, and together they eventually formed their own horn-dominated musical outfits, Dreams
Dreams (band)
Dreams was one of the original prominent jazz rock bands in the period of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and recorded for Columbia Records. Dreams was formed by Jeff Kent and Doug Lubahn, who together wrote and arranged all their original songs. The band began as a trio and evolved into a...
and The Brecker Brothers. Jerry Weiss went on to start the similarly-styled group Ambergris.
The David Clayton-Thomas era
Colomby and Katz then started looking for singers, considering Stephen StillsStephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
and Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
before deciding upon David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas is a Canadian musician and singer best known as the lead vocalist for the American band; Blood, Sweat & Tears...
, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer, born in Surrey, England. Reportedly, folk singer Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
had seen him perform at a New York City club and was so taken and moved by his performance that she told her friends Bobby Colomby and Steve Katz about him (knowing that they were looking for a new lead singer to front the band). With her prodding, they came to see him perform and were so impressed with him that Clayton-Thomas was offered the role of lead singer in a re-constituted Blood Sweat & Tears. Halligan took up the organ chores and Jerry Hyman joined on trombone. New trumpeters Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...
and Chuck Winfield brought the band up to nine total members.
Blood, Sweat & Tears (album)
Blood, Sweat & Tears is the second album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1968. It was a huge commercial success, rising to the top of the U.S. charts for a collective seven weeks and yielding three successive Top 5 singles...
, the group's self-titled second album, was produced by James William Guercio and released in late 1968. The album was much more pop-oriented, featuring decidedly fewer compositions from within the band. (David Clayton-Thomas, however, had already mounted a solo career as a singer/songwriter over this same time period, beginning with an album released in 1969 by Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
). The record quickly hit the top of the charts, winning Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
at the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s over The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Abbey Road, among other nominees. Blood, Sweat & Tears spawned three major hit singles: a cover of Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
and Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway is an American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s...
's "You've Made Me So Very Happy
You've Made Me So Very Happy
"You've Made Me So Very Happy" is a song written by Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway, Frank Wilson and Berry Gordy, and was released first as a single in 1967 by Holloway on the Tamla label...
", Clayton-Thomas' "Spinning Wheel
Spinning Wheel (song)
"Spinning Wheel" is the title of a popular song from 1969 by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song was written by band member and Canadian musician David Clayton-Thomas and appears on their self-titled album....
", and a version of Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
's "And When I Die
And When I Die
"And When I Die" is a song written by American singer Laura Nyro. It was first recorded by American folk group Peter, Paul and Mary in 1966. Nyro then recorded it on her 1968 debut album More Than a New Discovery. However, the song is probably best known for its cover version by American rock group...
." All three singles reached #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart. The commercial and critical acclaim enjoyed by the band in 1969 culminated in an appearance at the Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
, in which the band enjoyed headliner status.
Arguably, as a result of Al Kooper's departure, Blood, Sweat & Tears had difficulty maintaining its status as a counterculture icon at a time when record company executives deemed this characteristic importance as a tool to lure young consumers. This was compounded by a United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
-sponsored tour of Eastern Europe in 1970. Any voluntary association with the government was highly unpopular at the time and the band was ridiculed for it. In retrospect, it is now known that the State Department subtly requested the tour in exchange for more amicability on the issuance of a visa to Clayton-Thomas.
After returning to the U.S., the group released Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 is the third album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1970.-History:After the huge success of their previous album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 was highly anticipated and it rose quickly to the top of the US album chart...
; which was another popular success, spawning hit singles with a cover of Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's "Hi-De-Ho" and another Clayton-Thomas composition, "Lucretia MacEvil". While this was a successful attempt to re-create the amalgam of styles found on the previous album, the band once again depended almost exclusively on cover material. Album reviews sometimes focused solely upon the band's willingness to work with the U.S. State Department, without bothering to discuss the actual music. Compounding the image problems of the band was a decision to play at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, widely seen at the time as a mainstream venue for acts that did not engage in radical politics. In 1970, the band provided music for the soundtrack of the film comedy The Owl and the Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussycat (film)
The Owl and the Pussycat is a 1970 romantic comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Barbra Streisand and George Segal. Barbra Streisand plays the role of a somewhat uneducated actress, model and part-time prostitute. She temporarily lives with an educated aspiring writer . Their...
, which starred Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
further damaging the group's underground reputation.
Following this period of controversy, the group reconvened with jazz writer Don Heckman serving as their producer and, with Dave Bargeron
Dave Bargeron
David 'Dave' W Bargeron is an American trombonist and tuba player from Athol, Massachusetts, most famous for playing with the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat, and Tears. He joined the group in 1970, after Jerry Hyman departed, and first appeared on the album Blood, Sweat & Tears 4...
replacing Jerry Hyman, recorded material that would comprise their fourth album, BS&T 4
Blood, Sweat & Tears 4
BS&T 4 is the fourth album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1971. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Pop albums chart.David Clayton-Thomas left as lead vocalist to pursue a solo career after the release of BS&T 4, as did founding members Dick Halligan and Fred Lipsius...
. For the first time since the first album, Blood, Sweat & Tears presented a repertoire of songs composed almost entirely from within the group. Included on the album is a cover of former member Al Kooper's "Holy John (John The Baptist)". Loaded with hooks and a wide variety of moods (featuring such songs as "Go Down Gamblin'", "Lisa, Listen To Me", "High on a Mountain", "Redemption"), Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 broke into the album charts, resulting in a gold record for the group. Unfortunately, none of the singles from the album managed to land in the Top 30 on any of the singles charts, and the period after the release of the fourth album began the group's commercial decline.
The Jerry Fisher era
Difficulties arose inside the group between its pop-rock and jazz factions, with Clayton-Thomas refusing to pick sides and eventually choosing to leave in early January 1972 to continue the solo career he had begun concurrently with his role in BS&T. He was briefly replaced by Bobby Doyle, and then Jerry Fisher who went on to front the next generation of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Fred LipsiusFred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius was the original saxophonist and arranger for the jazz-rock band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, for which he played alto saxophone and piano...
left and was replaced by jazz legend Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
(who did not stay long enough to record), before Lou Marini
Lou Marini
Lou Marini, Jr. is an American saxophonist, arranger and composer. He is noted for his work in the jazz, rock, blues and soul music traditions.-Early life and range of musical experience:...
settled into the new lineup. Another founding member, Dick Halligan, also departed, replaced by jazz pianist Larry Willis
Larry Willis
Lawrence Elliott Willis is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion rock music, Bebop and Avant-Garde...
, and Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
guitarist Georg Wadenius
Georg Wadenius
Georg "Jojje" Wadenius, born May 4, 1945, in Stockholm, Sweden, is a guitarist, bassist, singer and composer who made a name for himself during the 1970s and 80s as a studio and session guitarist/bassist, as well as releasing a popular series of albums of children's songs in Sweden.After appearing...
joined as lead guitarist around the same time. Amidst the personnel changes, a Greatest Hits album was released, which hit the top 20 and eventually went gold. This record would be the band's final gold album.
During this period of time, a proliferation of bands employing the brass-rock stylings of the group began to compete in the popular music marketplace. Among these groups were Chase
Chase (band)
The band Chase was created in 1970 by Bill Chase, Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, all veteran jazz trumpeters who were also adept at vocals and arranging. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, Dennis Johnson on bass,...
, Ides of March and Lighthouse
Lighthouse (band)
Lighthouse is a Canadian rock band formed in 1968 in Toronto which included horns, string instruments, and vibraphone; their music reflected elements of rock music, jazz, classical music and swing...
, offering testimony to the legacy of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
The new edition of Blood, Sweat & Tears released New Blood, which found the group moving into a more overtly jazz-fusion repertoire. The album broke through the top-40 charts (the last BS&T LP to do so) and spawned a single ("So Long Dixie", chart peak: 44) that received some airplay. Also included on the record was a cover version of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage
Maiden Voyage (composition)
"Maiden Voyage" is a jazz composition by Herbie Hancock from his 1965 album Maiden Voyage. It features Hancock's quartet – trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams – with additional saxophonist George Coleman...
," featuring the voice/guitar soloing of Georg Wadenius.
In mid-1973, Katz, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the group's leaning towards jazz fusion, decided to leave. Winfield departed as well and was replaced by Tom Malone
Tom Malone (musician)
Tom "Bones" Malone is an American jazz musician. As his nickname implies, he specializes on the trombone, but also plays trumpet, tuba, tenor sax, baritone sax, flutes, piccolo, and other instruments....
.
Blood, Sweat & Tears' next album, No Sweat (1973), continued in a jazz-fusion vein and featured intricate horn work. The 1974 release Mirror Image saw the addition of vocalist/saxophonist Jerry LaCroix (formerly of Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
's White Trash), sax player Bill Tillman, bassist Ron McClure
Ron McClure
Ron McClure , a bassist, has played in hard bop, jazz-rock, and free and bebop sessions and bands.He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass...
and the exodus of Tom Malone and longtime members Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...
and Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder is an American bassist, best known for his work as an original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears....
. This recording features the adoption of a sound pitched between Philly Soul
Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly, is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. The subtle sound of a glockenspiel can often be heard in the background of...
and the mid-1970s albums by Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
's Headhunters, along with aspirations to Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
's jazz-fusion group Return to Forever
Return to Forever
Return to Forever is a jazz fusion group founded and led by keyboardist Chick Corea. Through its existence, the band has cycled through a number of different members, with the only consistent band mate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke...
.
Reformations
Personnel changes continued (see roster below), capped by the return of David Clayton-Thomas at the close of 1974 and the release of the comeback album New CityNew City (Blood Sweat & Tears album)
New City is an album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1975. It peaked at Number 47 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.New City marks the return to the line-up of lead vocalist David Clayton-Thomas.-Reception:...
in 1975. This album charted higher than any of their previous albums since New Blood. This was chiefly the result of an entry in the singles charts with a cover of the Beatles' "Got To Get You Into My Life
Got to Get You into My Life
"Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by The Beatles, first released in 1966 on the album Revolver. Written by Paul McCartney , it made prominent use of a brass section...
". But it still did not sell as well as albums from the group's 1969-71 commercial peak period. They released a final album for Columbia Records, More Than Ever, before the last original band member, Bobby Colomby, left in 1976. The band then signed a new contract with ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
, with Colomby serving as the next album's executive producer and retaining sole ownership of the group's name, despite his no longer appearing on stage with them. Their sole album for ABC, Brand New Day, did not fare well in the charts and the group undertook a European tour in early 1978 to promote the album that ended abruptly after saxophonist Gregory Herbert died of a drug overdose in Amsterdam on January 31, 1978. Rocked by this shocking turn of events, the group returned home and temporarily ceased activity.
In 1979, David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas is a Canadian musician and singer best known as the lead vocalist for the American band; Blood, Sweat & Tears...
decided to continue Blood, Sweat & Tears with an entirely new lineup that consisted of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musicians. The group signed to Avenue Records subsidiary label LAX (MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
), and with producer and arranger Jerry Goldstein
Jerry Goldstein (record producer, musician)
Jerry Goldstein is an American producer, singer songwriter and musician. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" , the producer and dubiously credited songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly and the Family Stone...
, recorded the album Nuclear Blues. The album was yet another attempt to reinvent the group, showcasing the band in a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
sound environment that recalled such acts as Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
and LAX labelmates War
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
(with whom BS&T did several shows in 1980). The album, unfortunately, was regarded by many Blood, Sweat & Tears fans as uncharacteristic of the group's best work. Following more touring, including Australia, this incarnation of the group disbanded in 1981.
Since he did not own the rights to the Blood Sweat & Tears name, Clayton-Thomas attempted to restart his failed solo career in 1983 after taking some time off. This caused complications during his initial months on the road when promoters would book his group and instead use the Blood, Sweat & Tears name on the marquee. Consequently, his manager at the time, Larry Dorr, negotiated a licensing deal between himself and Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby is an innovative jazz-rock fusion drummer, and an original member of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears...
in 1984 for rights to tour using the band's name. For 19 years afterwards, Clayton-Thomas toured the concert circuit with a constantly changing roster of players as "Blood, Sweat & Tears" until his final departure in 2004. Clayton-Thomas now does occasional shows using only his name in promotional efforts.The band continued on without Clayton-Thomas with what has been said is the greatest line up ever. Larry Dorr has been the bands manager (and much more)for over 30 years now. Blood Sweat & Tears is still one of the most popular touring acts of all time. At last count, the overall number of BS&T members since the beginning is up around 130 total people—roster below.
On March 12 & 13, 1993, Al Kooper organized two shows at the Bottom Line in NYC that were advertised as "A Silver Anniversary Celebration Of The Classic Album The Child Is Father To The Man", which featured Al, Randy Brecker, Jim Fielder, Steve Katz and Fred Lipsius playing together for the first time in twenty five years, accompanied by Anton Fig
Anton Fig
Anton Fig , known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra. Letterman often refers to Fig as "Anton Zip"or "Buddy Rich Jr."...
, Tom Malone, Lew Soloff, John Simon and Jimmy Vivino
Jimmy Vivino
Jimmy Vivino is an American guitarist, keyboard player, singer, producer, and music director. He is best known as the leader of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night program Conan...
, as well as a two woman chorus and string section.
The following year, in early February 1994, Al returned to the Bottom Line for his 50th birthday celebration in which he played with members of his new band plus the Blues Project & BS&T. The BS&T lineup at this show was the same as the 1993 Silver Anniversary show, with the exception of Will Lee
Will Lee (bassist)
Will Lee aka William Franklin Lee IV is an American musician and bassist, best known for his work on the CBS television program The Late Show with David Letterman as part of the CBS Orchestra....
sitting in for Fielder and John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
(ex-Loving Spoonful) contributing harmonica. Colomby would not allow Kooper to use the name Blood, Sweat & Tears, so the two reunions were billed as "Child Is Father of The Man". This second show appeared as the CD Soul of a Man in 1995. According to page 20 of the CD's liner notes, Steve Katz elected not to allow his performances onto the CD, which were digitally replaced by Jimmy Vivino. Bassist Jim Fielder is said to have added some parts to the CD as well.
Blood, Sweat & Tears continues its heavy touring schedule throughout the world with its current line-up of members, some of whom have been with the band previously during the past two decades. Under the direction of Larry Dorr and founding member Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby is an innovative jazz-rock fusion drummer, and an original member of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears...
, the band has enjoyed something of a resurgence. Blood, Sweat & Tears donates money through its "Elsie Monica Colomby" music scholarship fund to deserving schools and students who need help in prolonging their musical education, such as the victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. The year 2007 witnessed the band's first world tour in a decade. Since late 2005, The band has been touring world wide with a refeshed line up. 2011 saw BS&T and Chicago co-headlining a Jazz festival in Stuttgart Germany. All of the band's albums, with the exception of Brand New Day, are currently available on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. BS&T's first four albums were reissued by Sony Records in remastered editions (typically with bonus material), except for its third album, which has been reissued by Mobile Fidelity. The later Columbia albums have been reissued by Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...
, and Rhino Records has reissued Nuclear Blues. Brand New Day was issued on CD in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 2002, although the disc may not have received authorization from copyright holders.
Roster of member musicians
Al KooperAl Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
: keyboards, vocals (1967–1968)
Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
: trumpet, flugelhorn (1967–1968)
Jerry Weiss
Jerry Weiss
Jerry Weiss is an American trumpet/flugelhorn player, best known as a founding member of the jazz fusion band Blood, Sweat & Tears....
: trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (1967–1968)
Fred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius was the original saxophonist and arranger for the jazz-rock band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, for which he played alto saxophone and piano...
: alto sax, keyboards (1967–1972)
Dick Halligan
Dick Halligan
Richard Halligan is an American musician and composer, best known as a founding member of the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears....
: keyboards, trombone, horns, flute, backing vocals (1967–1972)
Steve Katz
Steve Katz (musician)
Steve Katz is a guitarist and record producer who is best known as a member of the rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears. Katz was an original member of the rock bands The Blues Project and American Flyer...
: guitar, harmonica, lute, mandolin, vocals (1967–1973, 2008– )
Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder is an American bassist, best known for his work as an original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears....
: bass, guitar, backing vocals (1967–1974)
Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby
Bobby Colomby is an innovative jazz-rock fusion drummer, and an original member of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears...
: drums, percussion, backing vocals (1967–1977)
David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas is a Canadian musician and singer best known as the lead vocalist for the American band; Blood, Sweat & Tears...
: vocals, guitar (1968–1972, 1974–1981, 1984–2004)
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...
: trumpet, flugelhorn (1968–1973)
Chuck Winfield : trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals (1968–1973)
Jerry Hyman : trombones, recorder (1968–1970)
Dave Bargeron
Dave Bargeron
David 'Dave' W Bargeron is an American trombonist and tuba player from Athol, Massachusetts, most famous for playing with the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat, and Tears. He joined the group in 1970, after Jerry Hyman departed, and first appeared on the album Blood, Sweat & Tears 4...
: trombone, tuba, horns, bass, backing vocals (1970–1978)
Bobby Doyle : vocals, piano (1972)
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
: tenor sax (1972)
Lou Marini Jr.
Lou Marini
Lou Marini, Jr. is an American saxophonist, arranger and composer. He is noted for his work in the jazz, rock, blues and soul music traditions.-Early life and range of musical experience:...
: tenor & soprano sax, flute (1972–1974)
Larry Willis
Larry Willis
Lawrence Elliott Willis is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion rock music, Bebop and Avant-Garde...
: keyboards (1972–1978)
Georg Wadenius
Georg Wadenius
Georg "Jojje" Wadenius, born May 4, 1945, in Stockholm, Sweden, is a guitarist, bassist, singer and composer who made a name for himself during the 1970s and 80s as a studio and session guitarist/bassist, as well as releasing a popular series of albums of children's songs in Sweden.After appearing...
: guitar, vocals (1972–1975)
Jerry Fisher : vocals (1972–1974)
Tom Malone
Tom Malone (musician)
Tom "Bones" Malone is an American jazz musician. As his nickname implies, he specializes on the trombone, but also plays trumpet, tuba, tenor sax, baritone sax, flutes, piccolo, and other instruments....
: trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn, alto sax, bass (1973–1974)
Jerry LaCroix : vocals, alto sax, flute, harmonica (1974)
Ron McClure
Ron McClure
Ron McClure , a bassist, has played in hard bop, jazz-rock, and free and bebop sessions and bands.He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass...
: bass (1974–1975, 1976)
Tony Klatka : trumpet, horns (1974–1978)
Johnny Madrid: trumpet, flugelhorn (1974)
Bill Tillman : alto sax, flute, clarinet, backing vocals (1974–1977)
Luther Kent
Luther Kent
Luther Kent is an American blues singer based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kent is known for a big soulful voice and his big horn-based group Luther Kent & Trick Bag that mixed swinging blues with New Orleans R&B.- Biography :...
: vocals (1974–1976)
Joe Giorgianni : trumpet, flugelhorn (1974–1975)
Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
: bass (1975–1976)
Steve Khan
Steve Khan
Steve Khan is an American jazz guitarist.Born in Los Angeles, California, Khan is known for his work with artists such as Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Michael Franks, Hubert Laws, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, James Brown, Maynard Ferguson, and Weather Report...
: guitar (1975)
Mike Stern
Mike Stern
Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist. After playing for a few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he landed a gig with Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis' comeback band from 1981 to 1983, and again in 1985. Since then, he launched a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums...
: guitar (1975–1977)
Keith Jones : bass (1976)
Danny Trifan : bass (1976–1977)
Forrest Buchtell : trumpet (1975–1977)
Don Alias
Don Alias
Charles 'Don' Alias was an American jazz percussionist.Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums...
: percussion (1975–1976)
Roy McCurdy
Roy McCurdy
Roy McCurdy, born November 28, 1936 in Rochester, New York, is a jazz drummer.Before joining Cannonball Adderley's Quintet in 1965 and staying with the band until Adderley's death in 1975, he had played with Chuck and Gap Mangione in the Jazz Brothers , as well as with Bobby Timmons, Betty Carter...
: drums (1976–1977)
Jeff Richman : guitar (1976 fill in for Stern)
Randy Bernsen : guitar (1977)
Barry Finnerty
Barry Finnerty
Michael Barry Finnerty is an American jazz guitarist, keyboardist, and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician for artists like Miles Davis and the Crusaders...
: guitar (1977–1978)
Neil Stubenhaus
Neil Stubenhaus
Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.-Career:He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975...
: bass (1977–1978)
Gregory Herbert
Gregory Herbert
Gregory Herbert was an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.Herbert started on alto sax at age 12. In 1964 he did a short stint in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, then studied at Temple University from 1965 to 1971. While a student he recorded with Pat Martino in 1968...
: saxophone (1977–1978)
Michael Lawrence ; trumpet (1977)
Chris Albert : trumpet (1977–1978)
Bobby Economou : drums (1977–1978, 1979–1981, 1994–1995)
Kenny Marco : guitar (1979)
David Piltch : bass (1979–1980)
Joe Sealy : keyboards (1979)
Bruce Cassidy : trumpet, flugelhorn (1979–1980)
Earl Seymour : sax, flute (1979–1981)
Steve Kennedy : sax, flute (1979)
Sally Chappis : drums (1979)
Harvey Kogan : sax, flute (1979)
Jack Scarangella : drums (1979)
Vernon Dorge : sax, flute, vuvuzela
Vuvuzela
The vuvuzela , also known as lepatata Mambu , colloquially known in South Africa as "Moerstripper", is a plastic horn, about long, which produces a loud monotone note, typically around B3 . Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and this design also allows pitch variation...
(1979–1981)
Robert Piltch : guitar (1979–1980)
Richard Martinez : keyboards (1979–1980)
Wayne Pedzwater : bass (1980–1981)
Peter Harris : guitar (1980–1981)
Lou Pomanti : keyboards (1980–1981)
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette is an American brass player born in 1951 and raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin....
: trumpet (1980–1981)
Steve Guttman : trumpet (1985–2005)
Dave Gellis : guitar (1985–1990, 1996, 1998 fill in, 2005– )
Ray Peterson : bass (1985–1986)
Scott Kreitzer : sax, flute (1985–1986)
Teddy Mulet : trombone (1985–1986), trumpet (2005– )
Barry Danielian : trumpet (1985–1986)
Richard Sussman : keyboards (1985–1987)
Randy Andos : trombone (1986)
Tom Timko : sax, flute (1986–1987, 1995, 1998–2001, 2005–2008, 2009–2010)
Tom DeFaria : drums (1985–1986)
John Conte : bass (1986–1987)
Steve Conte
Steve Conte
Steve Conte is an American singer and rock musician and lead singer of the band The Contes, along with his brother John Conte, both formerly members of the band Crown Jewels. He is perhaps more popularly known for his collaborations with composer Yoko Kanno, as well as being former lead guitarist...
: guitar (1986 fill in)
Jeff Gellis : bass (1987–1990)
Dave Panichi
Dave Panichi
Dave Panichi is an Australian jazz musician, trombonist and composer who began his professional musical career in 1975.In 1981 Panichi moved to New York, where he lived for 18 years...
: trombone (1987–1988, 1997–1998)
Glenn McClelland
Glenn McClelland
Glenn McClelland is the keyboardist for the band Ween. He also played keyboards for Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1987 to 1993. He currently is a vocalist and keyboardist for Scott Rednor and His Band...
: keyboards (1987–1993, 1998, 2005– )
David Riekenberg : sax, flute (1987–1990, 1995–1998)
Jerry Sokolov
Jerry Sokolov
Jerry Sokolov is a New York City-area trumpet player. He was first trumpet for Blood, Sweat, and Tears from 1987 to 1994.-References:* http://www.kosmix.com/topic/jerry_sokolov*...
: trumpet (1987–1994)
Graham Hawthorne : drums (1987–1988, 1989–1991)
Van Romaine : drums (1988–1989)
Neil Capolongo : drums (1991–1993)
Peter Abbott
Peter Abbott
Admiral Sir Peter Charles Abbott GBE KCB is a former Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.-Naval career:Educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, Abbott was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1964...
: drums (fill in early 1990s)
Charley Gordon : trombone (1987–1994, 2001)
Wayne Schuster : sax, flute (1990–1991)
Larry DeBari : guitar, vocals (1990–1997)
Gary Foote
Gary Foote
Gary Foote Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in February, 1962, to Jim and Rosetta Foote, Gary, the youngest of four boys, was first influenced by his older brother, Jymme Foote, drummer and piano player, beginning his music career at the age of 8, in a home that encouraged expression especially in the...
: bass (1990–1994, 1996–2004, 2005– )
Jack Bashcow : sax, flute (1992)
Tim Ries : sax, flute (1992–1993, 1993–1995)
Charlie Cole : sax, flute (1993)
Matt King keyboards (1994–1998)
Mike Mancini : keyboards (fill in '80s/'90s)
Franck Amsallem
Franck Amsallem
Franck Amsallem is a French jazz pianist, composer and also singer. He was born in 1961 in Oran, then in French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France.He started learning the piano at age 7 and also took up the classical saxophone at the local conservatory...
keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Henry Hey : keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Ted Kooshian
Ted Kooshian
Ted Kooshian is a New York jazz pianist and keyboardist who has performed with artists that include Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Toni Braxton, Marvin Hamlisch, Sarah Brightman, and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Kooshian has played in many Broadway pit orchestras, and is a member of the Ed Palermo Big...
keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Cliff Korman keyboards (fill in mid '90s)
Mike DuClos bass : (1994–1996)
James "Hambone" Hamlin bass: (1995 fill in)
Jonathan Peretz : drums (1995–1997)
Craig Johnson : trumpet (1994–1998)
Matt Milmerstadt drums : (1995, 1998)
Tom Guarna : guitar (1997–1998)
Jon Owens : trumpet (1998–2000)
Charles Pillow : sax, flute (fill in 1998)
Brian Delaney : drums (1998, 2001)
Dave Stahl : trumpet (fill in 1995–1999)
Winston Byrd : trumpet (fill in 1998)
Dave Pietro
Dave Pietro
Dave Pietro is a jazz saxophonist who plays alto saxophone. He started playing at age 11 and was first recorded with his school's band by Clark Terry. He received his bachelor's in music from the University of North Texas where he was a member of the world renowned One O'Clock Lab Band...
: sax, flute (fill in 1998)
Dale Kirkland : trombone (1995–1996, 1998, 1999–2001, 2002–2006)
Pat Hallaran : trombone (1998–1999)
James Fox : guitar (1998–2000)
Dan Zank : keyboards (1998–2000)
Zach Danziger : drums (1998–2001)
Joe Mosello : trumpet (2000–2002)
Gregg Sullivan : guitar (2000–2004)
Phil Magallanes : keyboards (2000–2001)
Andrea Valentini : drums (2001– )
Darcy Hepner : sax, flute (1999 fill in, 2001–2004)
John Samorian : keyboards (2001–2003)
Nick Marchione : trumpet (2002–2004)
Eric Cortright : keyboards (2003–2004)
Leo Huppert: bass (2004)
Steve Jankowski: trumpet (2005– )
Rob Paparozzi
Rob Paparozzi
Rob "The Honeydripper" Paparozzi is a grammy nominated American harmonica player and vocalist from New Jersey.He has toured with Dolly Parton, George Jones, and has contributed to works by Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Judy Collins, Cyndi Lauper, and Bobby McFerrin. He is a former member of...
: vocals, harmonica (2005–2011 )
Thomas Conner : vocals (fill in 2006 & 2007)
Jens Wendelboe: trombone (2006– )
Chris Tedesco : trumpet (fill in for Mulet 2006–2007)
Brian Steel : trumpet (fill in for Mulet 2008)
Bill Churchville : sax (fill in for Timko 2008)
Ken Gioffre : sax (2010- )
Jon Pruitt : keyboards (fill in for McClelland 2010)
Ralph Bowen : sax (fill in for Gioffre 2011)
Dave Anderson : bass (fill in for Foote 2011)
Jason Paige : vocals (2011- )
Jon Pruitt : keyboards (fill in for McClelland 2011)
(Roster provided by Jim Mullen)
Current roster
Jason Paige : vocalsDave Gellis : guitar
Glenn McClelland
Glenn McClelland
Glenn McClelland is the keyboardist for the band Ween. He also played keyboards for Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1987 to 1993. He currently is a vocalist and keyboardist for Scott Rednor and His Band...
: keyboards
Gary Foote
Gary Foote
Gary Foote Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in February, 1962, to Jim and Rosetta Foote, Gary, the youngest of four boys, was first influenced by his older brother, Jymme Foote, drummer and piano player, beginning his music career at the age of 8, in a home that encouraged expression especially in the...
: bass
Andrea Valentini : drums
Teddy Mulet : trumpet
Steve Jankowski : trumpet
Jens Wendelboe : trombone
Ken Gioffre : saxophone
Discography
Albums- Child Is Father to the ManChild Is Father to the ManChild Is Father to the Man is the debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968. It reached number 47 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.-History:...
(1968) Producer: John Simon (RIAA: Gold) #47 - Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears (album)Blood, Sweat & Tears is the second album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1968. It was a huge commercial success, rising to the top of the U.S. charts for a collective seven weeks and yielding three successive Top 5 singles...
(1968) Producer: James William Guercio, 1970 Grammy Award for Album of the YearGrammy Award for Album of the YearThe Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
. (RIAA: 4 x Multi-Platinum) #1 - Blood, Sweat & Tears 3Blood, Sweat & Tears 3Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 is the third album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1970.-History:After the huge success of their previous album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 was highly anticipated and it rose quickly to the top of the US album chart...
(1970) Producer: Bobby Colomby and Roy Halee (RIAA: Gold) #1 - Blood, Sweat & Tears 4Blood, Sweat & Tears 4BS&T 4 is the fourth album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1971. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Pop albums chart.David Clayton-Thomas left as lead vocalist to pursue a solo career after the release of BS&T 4, as did founding members Dick Halligan and Fred Lipsius...
(1971) Producers: Don Heckman, Roy Halee and Bobby Colomby (RIAA: Gold) #10 - New Blood (1972) Producer: Bobby Colomby #32
- No Sweat (1973) Producer: Steve Tyrell #72
- Mirror ImageMirror Image (BS&T album)Mirror Image is an album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1974.Founding member Jim Fielder left the band prior to the recording of Mirror Image. Long-time horn player Lew Soloff also left the group. Jerry LaCroix, previously of Edgar Winter's band White Trash joined on saxophone and...
(1974) Producer: Henry Cosby #149 - New CityNew City (Blood Sweat & Tears album)New City is an album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1975. It peaked at Number 47 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.New City marks the return to the line-up of lead vocalist David Clayton-Thomas.-Reception:...
(1975) Producer: Jimmy Ienner #47 - In Concert (1976) Producer: Bobby Colomby, Executive Producer: Jimmy Ienner
- More Than EverMore Than Ever (Blood, Sweat & Tears album)More Than Ever is an album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in July of 1976. This was the band's ninth studio album and their last for Columbia Records...
(1976) Producer: Bob James #165 - Brand New DayBrand New Day (Blood, Sweat & Tears album)Brand New Day is an album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1977. This was the band's tenth studio album and their first and only release for ABC Records. Brand New Day was produced by Roy Halee and former BS&T drummer Bobby Colomby. Colomby and Halee had also co-produced the group's...
(1977) Producers: Bobby Colomby and Roy Halee #205 - Nuclear Blues (1980) Producer: Jerry Goldstein
- Latin Fire (1985) [recorded 1980/81]
- Live And ImprovisedLive And Improvised (Blood, Sweat & Tears album)Live And Improvised is a two compact disc live album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, that was originally released in 1976 as a live album entitled In Concert by Columbia Records in Europe and Japan. This album was later remixed and released in the United States as Live And Improvised in 1991...
(1991) [recorded 1975] Producer: Bobby Colomby. Associate producer: Jimmy Ienner - Live (1994) [recorded live at The Street Scene, Los Angeles, on October 12, 1980.]
Compilation albums:
- Greatest Hits (1972) (RIAA: 2 x Multi-Platinum) #19
- Super Hits (1998)
- What Goes Up! The Best of Blood, Sweat & Tears (1995) Compilation producer: Bob Irwin
- You've made me so happy (2001) Compilation: Sony Special Products
- The Collection (2003) Compilation: Sony/Columbia
Soundtracks
- The Owl and the Pussy Cat (Soundtrack) (1970) Producer: Thomas Z. Shepard
Charted singles
- "You've Made Me So Very HappyYou've Made Me So Very Happy"You've Made Me So Very Happy" is a song written by Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway, Frank Wilson and Berry Gordy, and was released first as a single in 1967 by Holloway on the Tamla label...
" (1969) #2 - "Spinning WheelSpinning Wheel (song)"Spinning Wheel" is the title of a popular song from 1969 by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song was written by band member and Canadian musician David Clayton-Thomas and appears on their self-titled album....
" (1969) (Grammy Award-winning) #2 - "And When I Die" (1969) #2
- "Hi-De-Ho" (1970) #14
- "Lucretia MacEvil" (1970) #29
- "Lisa, Listen to Me" (1971) #73
- "Go Down Gamblin'" (1971) #32
- "So Long Dixie" (1972) #44
- "Tell Me That I'm Wrong" (1974) #83
- "Got To Get You Into My Life" (1975) #62