The only trouble was, ‘60s rock culture was fueled by a growing sentiment against the Vietnam War and its chief presidential proponents - first Lyndon Johnson, forced out by the protests, then Richard Nixon, who escalated the conflict when he was elected in 1968 despite promises to the contrary. Blood, Sweat & Tears, at the top of the rock pecking order, found themselves in a bind when their lead vocalist, Canadian Clayton-Thomas, was threatened with his green card being taken away because of some trouble with the law, though Colomby insists it was the government taking convenient political action during a time of polarization much like today. Throughout the ’50s, that included mostly classical and jazz artists like Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie, but by 1970, it was apparent rock ‘n’ roll music might be the most effective way to grow the hunger for democracy. State Department’s long-running Cultural Presentations Program, which sent American musicians around the world in an attempt to spread its cultural influence and a redeeming message of freedom. The real-life political thriller Colomby recounted involved the U.S. It was a reasonable query about a band that, as the summer of 1970 approached, was the hottest entity in rock ‘n’ roll, with a self-titled sophomore album for Columbia Records that topped the chart for seven weeks, spawned three massive Top 5 hit singles (covers of Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die” and Brenda Holloway’s “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and the novelty-like “Spinning Wheel,” penned by the band’s newly minted vocalist David Clayton-Thomas), while taking home an album of the year Grammy over “Abbey Road,” “Crosby, Stills & Nash” and “Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin.” The story Colomby told him that day turned into a compelling documentary that serves as the perfect glimpse into the roots of today’s cancel culture in an incident that took place 53 years ago. John Lennon”) asked the band’s co-founder and industry acolyte Bobby Colomby over lunch just two months before COVID. “What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat & Tears?” is the question filmmaker John Scheinfeld (“Chasing ‘Trane,” “The U.S.
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