Why It Matters

Following Johnny Winter early that morning was Blood, Sweat & Tears.  They were at the top of their game at the time: “Spinning Wheel” was a monster hit, and BST commanded $12,000 for their Woodstock appearance.

That was a lot of money for 1969, and they never saw a dime.

That’s not a huge surprise – countless acts were never paid for their performances.  Unfortunately, BST’s manager took the same hard line as Keef Hartley’s:  He demanded that the recording equipment be stopped if the band didn’t get paid.

And the results were pretty much the same as in Hartley’s situation:  Blood, Sweat & Tears became another forgotten Woodstock act.  Fortunately some footage survived, so we have at least a glimpse of BST’s brassy set, and at least four audio tracks have surfaced.

The band’s post-Woodstock downward spiral is covered quite well in lead singer David Clayton-Thomas’s great memoir.  Pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

The name “Blood, Sweat & Tears” still tours, though none of the original members remain in the band.  I haven’t seen them, but if you want to hear those old BST songs performed live this may be the only game in town.  You can see their tour schedule at: www.bloodsweatandtears.com.

If you want to hear the original voice of BST, though, take heart.  David Clayton-Thomas is still very busy making music and doing the occasional show.  How he found time to write a book is a mystery.  You can visit him here:  www.davidclaytonthomas.com

Here’s Blood, Sweat & Tears’s complete Woodstock set list and where you can find some of it:

1. More and More (Youtube)
2. Just One Smile
3. Something’s Coming On (Youtube)
4. More Than You’ll Ever Know
5. Spinning Wheel (Youtube)
6. Sometimes In Winter
7. Smiling Phases
8. God Bless the Child
9. I Stand Accused
10. And When I Die
11. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy (Woodstock 40 Years On: Back To Yasgur’s Farm (CD))

Your official (and bootleg) Woodstock soundtrack song count to date: 179

Next week: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

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Update: On August 2, 2019, Rhino Records released Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive and changed the game forever. With exception to two Hendrix tracks and one Sha Na Na cut, the massive box set contains complete sets from every Woodstock artist—even those long believed lost or never recorded.

Here is BST‘s set as it appears on the Back to the Garden archive, including announcements, etc.:

1. Chip Monck – “It’s really annoying to have to constantly make this announcement”
2. MORE AND MORE
3. JUST ONE SMILE
4. SOMETHIN’ COMIN’ ON
5. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER KNOW
6. SPINNING WHEEL
7. SOMETIMES IN WINTER
8. SMILING PHASES
9. GOD BLESS THE CHILD
10. AND WHEN I DIE
11. YOU’VE MADE ME SO VERY HAPPY
12. Audience – “What about the Moody Blues?”