You’ve probably heard "Spinning Wheel" or "You've Made Me So Very Happy" on a classic rock station and thought you knew the band. But if you try to list the members of Blood Sweat and Tears, you’re going to run into a massive headache. This isn't like the Beatles or Led Zeppelin where the lineup stayed mostly static. It’s a revolving door. A musical bus stop. Since 1967, over 150 musicians have officially called themselves members of this group.
That is wild.
Most people are looking for the "classic" era—the guys who cleaned up at the Grammys and went multi-platinum—but the story starts with a very different vision. It starts with Al Kooper. He wanted a "jazz-rock" fusion that didn't really exist yet. He brought in guys who could play complex arrangements but still kick like a rock band. Then, things got messy. Egos, creative shifts, and a literal government-sponsored tour of Eastern Europe changed everything.
The Original Vision: Al Kooper’s Short-Lived Dream
In 1967, Al Kooper was already a legend for playing that iconic organ riff on Bob Dylan’s "Like a Rolling Stone." He wanted a band with a horn section that wasn't just background noise. The first lineup of members of Blood Sweat and Tears was a tight, experimental eight-piece.
Kooper was the lead singer and keyboardist. He had Steve Katz on guitar, Jim Fielder on bass, and Bobby Colomby on drums. The horn section featured Fred Lipsius, Randy Brecker, Jerry Weiss, and Dick Halligan. They put out Child Is Father to the Man. Critics loved it. It was sophisticated. It was "New York" cool. But sales weren't exactly explosive, and the internal politics were already rotting. The band wanted a stronger singer. Kooper didn't.
He left.
Just like that, the founder was out before the band even peaked. It’s one of those weird "what if" moments in music history. If Kooper had stayed, they might have remained a cult experimental band. Instead, they became a global juggernaut.
The David Clayton-Thomas Era: When They Owned the World
When people talk about the "real" members of Blood Sweat and Tears, they usually mean the 1969 lineup. This is when they hired David Clayton-Thomas, a Canadian singer with a voice like a freight train. He wasn't subtle. He was a powerhouse.
📖 Related: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
The lineup for the self-titled second album—the one that beat the Beatles' Abbey Road for Album of the Year—was:
- David Clayton-Thomas (Lead Vocals)
- Steve Katz (Guitar/Vocals)
- Bobby Colomby (Drums)
- Jim Fielder (Bass)
- Fred Lipsius (Saxophone)
- Dick Halligan (Keyboards/Trombone)
- Chuck Winfield (Trumpet)
- Lew Soloff (Trumpet)
- Jerry Hyman (Trombone)
This group was tight. Lew Soloff was a legitimate jazz master on the trumpet. Bobby Colomby's drumming was incredibly technical but still had enough "pocket" for pop radio. They were playing Woodstock. They were on every talk show. They were selling millions of records.
But then came the State Department tour. In 1970, the band agreed to tour Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland on behalf of the U.S. government. In the heat of the Vietnam War, this was seen as a betrayal by the counter-culture. The "hip" kids stopped buying their records. The band got squeezed between being "too commercial" for the underground and "too political" for the mainstream. It’s a fascinating case study in how a brand can tank even when the music is still technically brilliant.
Why the Lineup Keeps Changing (And Changing)
By the mid-70s, the members of Blood Sweat and Tears were shifting almost monthly. David Clayton-Thomas left for a solo career in 1972, and the band tried to replace him with Jerry Fisher. Fisher was a great singer—very soulful—but he wasn't David.
Then you had the jazz guys coming in.
Because the band relied so heavily on complex arrangements, they attracted heavy hitters. We’re talking about people like Jacobs Pastorius. Briefly. The legendary bassist actually played with the band in 1975 and 1976. Most people don’t realize that one of the greatest bassists in the history of the world was technically a member of BS&T.
Then there’s Mike Stern, the jazz-fusion guitar god. He was in the band. Gregory Herbert, a brilliant saxophonist who tragically died young, was in the band. The group became a sort of finishing school for elite jazz musicians who wanted to see what life was like on a tour bus.
👉 See also: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
The Return of Clayton-Thomas
David came back in 1975. He stayed until the early 80s, then left, then came back again. For a long time, the band was essentially "The David Clayton-Thomas Show featuring some guys with horns." It worked for the nostalgia circuit. People wanted to hear "And When I Die" and "Lucretia MacEvil" sung by the guy who made them famous.
But Bobby Colomby, the original drummer, eventually stopped playing and took over the management of the band's name. He hasn't performed with them in decades, but he owns the brand. He treats it like a symphony orchestra. The "members" are whoever is currently hired to play the charts.
The Current State: A Legacy Group
If you go see Blood Sweat and Tears today, you won't see a single person from the 1960s on stage. None. Zero.
The current lead singer is usually someone with a massive voice, often from a background like American Idol or Broadway. For a few years, it was Bo Bice. He did a great job, honestly. He had the grit and the range. Currently, the band is led by Keith Paluso.
Is it still Blood Sweat and Tears if none of the original members of Blood Sweat and Tears are there? It’s the "Ship of Theseus" paradox of rock and roll. If you replace every plank on a ship, is it still the same ship?
For the fans who fill the seats, the answer is usually yes. The music is the star. Those horn arrangements—the specific way the trumpets flare on "Spinning Wheel"—are the DNA of the band. As long as the musicians on stage can play those charts perfectly, the legacy stays alive.
Identifying the Essential Players
To really understand who made this band what it was, you have to look at the "anchors."
✨ Don't miss: Why This Is How We Roll FGL Is Still The Song That Defines Modern Country
- Bobby Colomby: He’s the longest-serving "member" even if he’s not on stage. He’s the gatekeeper.
- Fred Lipsius: His arrangements defined the sound. He figured out how to make a rock band sound like a big band without it feeling corny.
- Lew Soloff: He brought actual jazz credibility. His solo on "Spinning Wheel" is a masterclass in trumpet playing.
- Steve Katz: He was the bridge between the folk-rock world and the jazz-fusion world. Plus, he sang "Sometimes in Winter," which is arguably their most beautiful song.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re just getting into the band or trying to settle a bet about the members of Blood Sweat and Tears, don't just look at the hits.
Start by listening to the first album, Child Is Father to the Man. It’s quirky, weird, and sounds nothing like the radio hits. It’s Al Kooper’s masterpiece. Then, jump straight to the 1969 self-titled album to hear the David Clayton-Thomas power-trip.
If you want to go deeper, track down Live and Improvised from 1975. You get to hear the band at their most "musician-y." The solos are longer, the grooves are deeper, and you can hear why guys like Jaco Pastorius were willing to hang out in the lineup for a while.
Finally, check the credits on your favorite tracks. You might find that some of your favorite "classic rock" moments were actually played by session legends and jazz giants who were just passing through the most eclectic revolving door in music history.
Next Steps for the Deep Researcher:
- Compare the vocal styles of Al Kooper vs. David Clayton-Thomas on the track "I Can't Quit Her" (they both recorded versions).
- Look up the 1970 documentary What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?—it explains the political collapse of the band better than any biography ever could.
- Audit the bass lines of Jim Fielder; he is one of the most underrated bassists of the era, holding together the chaos of the horn section with incredible melodic lines.
The story of the band isn't about a group of friends starting a band in a garage. It’s about a revolving collective of world-class talent trying to keep a very specific, very difficult sound alive against all odds.