Blood, Sweat, and My Rock 'n' Roll Years: Is Steve Katz a Rock Star?

by Steve Katz

On paper Steve Katz’s career rivals anyone’s except the 1960s’ and ’70’s biggest the Monterey Pop Festival with the legendary Blues Project, Woodstock with Blood, Sweat & Tears, and even producing rock’s most celebrated speed addict, Lou Reed. There were world tours, and his résumé screams “Hall of Fame” — it won’t be long before BS&T are on that ballot. He has three Grammies (ten nominations), three Downbeat Reader’s Poll Awards, three gold records, one platinum record, and one quadruple platinum platter (the second Blood, Sweat & Tears album), not to mention three gold singles with BS&T. All together, he’s sold close to 29 million records. He had affairs with famous female folk singers, made love to Jim Morrison’s girlfriend Pam when Jim was drunk and abusive, partied with Elizabeth Taylor and Groucho Marx, dined with Rudolf Nureyev, conversed with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tennessee Williams, hung out with Andy Warhol, jammed with everyone from Mose Allison to Jimi Hendrix, and was told to get a haircut by both Mickey Spillane and Danny Thomas. But his memoir is more Portnoy’s Complaint than the lurid party-with-your-pants-down memoir that has become the norm for rock ’n’ roll books. It’s an honest and personal account of a life at the edge of the spotlight—a privileged vantage point that earned him a bit more objectivity and earnest outrage than a lot of his colleagues, who were too far into the scene to lay any honest witness to it. Set during the Greenwich Village folk/rock scene, the Sixties’ most celebrated venues and concerts, and behind closed doors on international tours and grueling studio sessions, this is the unlikely story of a rock star as nerd, nerd as rock star, a nice Jewish boy who got to sit at the cool kid’s table and score the hot chicks.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2015

Reviews

[David Streb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I liked what this guy did, but I think it turns out that I didn’t. He did have some interesting observations about Al Kooper and Lou Reed, but he comes across as kind of a crank. I found it interesting to hear about the Blues Project and the first Blood, Sweat & Tears album, and how they transitioned to David Clayton Thomas. I too didn’t like David Clayton Thomas, but I didn’t like his voice. Stephen Katz apparently didn’t like anything about the guy. Why can’t we all just get along?
I knew we were fundamentally different when I read about his reaction to the Velvet Underground. I loved the Velvet Underground back then, and I would’ve been quite attracted to them, probably to my loss. Steven Katz was not attracted to them.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I read rock and roll memoirs, the more I'm convinced it's required for at least two chief members of a successful group to butt heads and fall out with spectacular hand gestures and bitter, four-letter words. Lennon sniped with McCartney, Stanley rolls his eyes at Simmons's every PR stunt, and Perry seems to barely tolerate Tyler (you get that impression from his book). Everybody has a frenemy in the business, the person with whom you work while you look at your watch to check for quitting time, and for Steve Katz that man would be Al Kooper.

Or Lou Reed.

Or David Clayton-Thomas.

Or his brother Dennis.

The difference between the aforementioned rock duos and Katz and company, though, is you get the impression at the end of the day John and Paul, etc. can bury the hatchet. After reading Blood, I envision Katz using the hatchet to hack the bridge into firewood before tossing back a lit match as he walks away.

I picked up this book because I wanted to read about a musician and a group about whom I know next to nothing. Katz helped form two popular bands of the 1960s: first The Blues Project and later Blood, Sweat & Tears. I know exactly three BS&T songs. I thought I knew four, but the last one turned out to be a Guess Who hit. Soon as I'm done here I'm firing up Google Play to listen to both groups. Anyway, if die-hard BS&T fans exist who live to takes sides with Team Katz or Team Kooper, I'd recommend this book to all of you because now you have a counterpart to Al's book.

If you're not a die-hard and want to read an insider's story of the industry as a musician and executive, you'll find here a rough blend of memories - blunt, happy and bitter. There are early heartbreaks that make you want to give the guy a hug (read: Mimi Baez), and fun brushes with celebrity like Bob Dylan and not-yet-Hutch David Soul. Katz doesn't suffer fools as he relates his tenure with fame, multi-million record sales and Grammy Awards, all the while dealing with an ego he had to humble to improve the band (Kooper) and the replacement singer he wanted to throttle (Thomas).

BS&T, however, only accounts for a fraction of Katz's story, given that he left the band in 1973 (by '77, the last founding member cycled out and a bazillion other people have performed in this group since). I found the second part of the book more interesting as Katz transitioned from musician to producer, namely with Reed, to A&R during the musically volatile 70s and 80s. How does the co-founder of a jam band and a jazz-rock band head hunt disco acts for a record label? With the knowledge he's getting a much-needed paycheck.

Blood, Sweat, and My Rock 'n' Roll Years opens with a great hook and scatters through several decades of headaches and musical triumphs and disappointments. One might call it a cautionary tale, though I have to wonder how much Katz would do all over again given the choice.

ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought and had this signed when I heard Steve Katz read and perform in person. He's sort of a Forrest Gump of '60s and '70s rock as well as the earlier Greenwich Village folk scene, in the center of it all. Candid, funny and self-deprecating and a real insider's view.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutally honest and a good read. Highly recommended.

[Read-a-Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brutally honest depressing book- a page turner about music history, a cautionary tale of bad judgement and missed opportunities.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Katz asks in the title of his memoir if he's a rock star, and no, he's probably not, but he's definitely one of the most innovative artists in music. He played in one of the earliest jug bands in the folk music revival of the early Sixties, The Even Dozen Jug Band, which included such future stars as John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, David Grisman, and a host of others.

A few years later he, along with Al Kooper, started the blues-rock revolution with their band The Blues Project. They were a part of the infamous Murray The K matinee tour which also included The Who and a new band called Cream. These bands were contractually obligated to play ten fifteen-minute sets a day whether there was a full house or a no-house.

Katz and Kooper later started the jazz-rock big band scene with Blood, Sweat and Tears, with Katz resuscitating the band after Kooper's departure and landing the band triple platinum riches and fame.

Katz continued into the Seventies by producing Lou Reed's infamous live Rock & Roll Animal album, followed up by his camp classic Sally Can't Dance (my favorite Lou album). And the beat goes on...

Katz kisses and tells, thanks, vis a vis his account on how Mimi Farina dated him and planned to have him fill the void left by her late husband Richard, but he found the situation too controlling. His short affair with Joni Mitchell was also bittersweet, and bears out some of the harsh things David Crosby said about her.

So, there you have it: lots of tales of Katz's legendary work as a producer/musician, and an equal dose of true folkie romance. Who needs rock stars anyway? Indian casinos are just lousy with them, really.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rock memoir by Steve Katz not only gives a peak into the man Steve Katz but is also a front row seat on the Rock and Roll train of the 60s on. Katz being a part of the bands the Blues Project, Blood Sweat and Tears as well as American Flyer tells the story of a wild ride. That ride was full of the normal sorted band fights, love affairs and life of excess that rock memories abound with.

On top of that his time in stints as a road manager, a short-lived rock critic doomed to failure since he didn't like to criticize others, an accomplished A&R man and a well-respected producer all are enlightening to the music and the times. I found myself laughing in amazement on his take of the antics he endured at the hands of Lou Reed for sure. I also really enjoyed hearing about his time with the Blues forefathers of rock during his time as a Road Manager for the great Reverend Davis and all of the blues legends he meet during that time who influenced him.

So the question in the title of the bock was Steve Katz a Rock Star? He sure survived the life of one while making time tested songs as a musician as well as producer and lived to tell the stories. So if that isn't one who is? The man was on the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock for crying out loud. Now A&R man who passed on U2 would not be a top accomplishment to put on your A&R resume but we all win and loose some.

[Lisa Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t lie to you and say I knew much about Steve Katz before reading his memoir. I had heard of Blood, Sweat and Tears but being born in the 80s BS&T were a bit before my time. It was nice to go into a book without any preconceptions about an artist. That is exactly what I got as I read Blood, Sweat, and My Rock ‘n’ Roll Years – Is Steve Katz a Rock Star?

What I was treated to was a biased version of events of what happened – oh, don’t argue, we all see things from our own biased perspective. This was actually a pleasant element to the book because it seemed to make Steve Katz appear more candid and he didn’t seem to care if people too offense to what he said about them.

Overall, Blood, Sweat, and My Rock ‘n’ Roll Years – Is Steve Katz a Rock Star? is a really intriguing rock memoir. It is filled with musical highlights that spanned several different years, roles and interpretations of events. I loved it.

And in my opinion, yes, Steve Katz is a rock star.

Blood, Sweat, and My Rock ‘n’ Roll Years – Is Steve Katz a Rock Star? By Steve Katz is available now.

For more information regarding Rowman & Littlefield (@RLPGBooks) please visit www.rowman.com.

[Amy Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is Steve Katz a rock star? He definitely checks all the boxes: started a very successful band that sold truckloads of records, took a lot of drugs that seemed to impair his judgment about who to trust, bitter about another dude in the band, and hates disco (his loss, there.) Yup, he is a rock star. This was an interesting book about a guy who found himself in some interesting places in rock's hey day. It probably could have ended a chapter or two before he actually stopped writing and his ragging on David Clayton Thomas got old, but still a good addition to the canon of 1960s/1970s music memoirs.

[Chet Slonina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read about Steve Katz and the history of Blood, Sweat and Tears in their meteoric rise and staying power as a group in name only. It was interesting reading about his journey not only with B,S, & T, but his life as a musician and his take on people especially David Clayton Thomas. Loved the group growing up and still love their music but the book gives you a sense of the backwaters that the music industry has. Yes, I think it is safe to say that Steve Katz is a rock star in his own right.

[ROBERT · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star rounded down to 3.

Good quick read. Blood, Sweat and Tears was his popular band. It is usually fun for me to read about bands I grew up listening to. He had some not so kind words for some of the folk he met along his journey but I wasn't there. Maybe he is right.

I really enjoy these 250 or so page biographies on musicians that are part of the soundtrack of my youth. I learn something new from each one. They are quick reads so I do not get bogged down.

[Kevin A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Katz did not have a huge career in music. He was a founding member of both the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears, as well as the less successful American Flyer. He also produced several albums by Lou Reed, and was an A&R executive at Mercury Records. What he is above all is a good storyteller, with a self-deprecating sense of humor, so this book is much better than it has any right to be.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a fun and interesting journey into the 1960s and the early days of blues/rock. inevitably it feels like katz spends a lot of time talking about how much he hated some of his old rock star compadres and how he got screwed over by the men in suits, including his own brother. but mostly its a pretty happy tale and is full of a sense of appreciation for a cool life of great experiences.

[Jennifer Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little read about a rock star I knew very little about.

[Dayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing one of the members of the book club said to our group about this book was "Who did Katz write this book for?" It seems that all the bragging about sleeping with Jim Morrison's girlfriend and how famous his drum strum was is not really that important, at least not to the women in my book club.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I could give it more stars, since we have a slight connection by hosting Steve as a houseguest on two occasions when he played nearby. I couldn't relate to the still simmering grudges and anger, and didn't particularly care to know much more about the cast of musicians. One of the cases where reality is better than the book as I enjoyed my personal time spent with Steve, but was ready for the book to end!
An explanation of my star rating.
5= Truly cream of the crop. Amazing. In a wondrous realm of its own
4= Special and well written. More than good...maybe even a great book, but not a rare 5 star wonder.
3= Moments of brilliance, a pleasure to read. I'd recommend it.
2= An average "so-so" book that didn't shine... since I rarely read mass market romances/mysteries, they are average in MY range of books. (I admit that sounds snarky)
1= Why did I bother to read this? I was lured past a certain point and I finished it. "Finish what you start" has been largely replaced with "ditch it if it's not worth my time" but for some reason I slogged on.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book, 230 pages. Not an in-depth view of Steve's entire life, but more a series of vignettes, largely focusing on the people he least got along with. A number of rare photos, and maybe could have used some more details about recording with BS&T.