None can argue BS&T invented a new style of music. Blood, Sweat & Tears is not the first band to ever use a horn section, but they are the first to fuse it with rock, jazz, and some blues thrown in for good measure. From the first ensemble in the late sixties practicing in New York’s Greenwich Village while crowds clapped on the street below between songs. Fifty years ago, founding member and drummer Bobby Colomby knew they were on the right course and since then, the band has never stopped touring. Their second, self-named album was a success, rising to the top of the charts for seven weeks, yielding three top five singles. The album received the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year beating out the Beatles’ Abby Road. That album went on to earn quadruple Platinum status with sales well over four million. Blood Sweat & Tears went on to receive 10 GRAMMY nominations and won three. Other prestigious awards and recognitions include The Playboy Jazz & Pop award, the 1969 album induction into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame, and being named an Honorary Ambassador of Peace for the Republic of Korea. BS&T performed on Sunday, August 17, 1969 at Woodstock same day as Jimi Hendrix and other great bands. They are the first rock band to tour behind the former Iron Curtain. BS&T still headlines jazz festivals all over the world, but only perform about 60 shows a year so it’s a rare treat to see them live. The band members are always looking to inspire the next generation of musicians so don’t be shy walk up and talk to them. To this day, founding member Bobby Colomby still hand picks the musicians for every tour using his same theory, “Great Musicians Make Great Music.”