"What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?"
A Zoom Conversation with Filmmaker John Scheinfeld ’75
From 1969-mid 1970s, Blood, Sweat & Tears was one of the hottest bands in the world with a sound that combined the sophistication and musical skills of jazz with the energy and universal appeal of rock music. In June 1970 as the band was rising in popularity, it embarked on tour behind the Iron Curtain, performing concerts in Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. The tour was sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The decision by the band to participate in the tour was curious given how band members were outspoken critics of the Nixon Administration and its policies on the war in Vietnam. The trip triggered criticism from the political Right who loathed government sponsorship of anti-Nixon rockers performing in front of Communists, and from the political Left who accused the band of being tools for government propaganda. In the aftermath of the trip, the band was no longer regarded as hip and cool, and it lost support from fans, the media, concert bookers, and the recording industry.
What’s the true story behind the band’s “decision” to embark on the government-sponsored tour, and are there parallels between what was happening in 1970 with what’s going on today?
Join filmmaker John Scheinfeld ’75 for a conversation about the band and the related political intrigue. John’s presentation will be based on “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?”, a 2023 documentary that he produced and directed. The film includes extensive interviews of the principals and documentary footage that had been suppressed for over 50 years by several governments. John recently screened the documentary on campus as part of the 50th reunion celebrations of the Class of 1975.
John Scheinfeld ’75 is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with a broad range of subjects and productions to his credit, covering pop culture, politics, sports, and religion. Currently, he is writing, producing and directing Dick Van Dyke 100 (working title), a documentary set to air on the American Masters series on PBS in December 2025. During his career, John also has written, produced and/or directed projects on the Bee Gees, Nat “King” Cole, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, the Marx Brothers, Ricky Nelson, Norman Lear, Peter Sellers, Frank Sinatra, and Jonathan Winters. His widely acclaimed feature documentaries include: The U.S. vs. John Lennon, which tells the true story of the U.S. government’s attempt to silence the beloved musician and iconic advocate for peace, and Who Is Harry Nilson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?, a riveting yet wildly entertaining documentary about one of the most talented and uncompromising singer-songwriters in pop music history. John majored in Communications and Sociology at Oberlin and earned an M.F.A. in Radio/Television/Film from Northwestern University.
