A Journey Through the History of Blues and Rock

A Journey Through the History of Blues and Rock
Steve Katz, blues aficionado and a founding member of both Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears, will perform in an online concert hosted by Dewey Hall in Sheffield, Mass. on Saturday, Feb. 13. 
Photo by Debra A. Aleksinas​

Steve Katz is probably most famous as a founding member of the 1960s/1970s mega group Blood Sweat & Tears. He’s not unwilling to share stories about those wild years as a rock and roll superstar — he does so ably in his autobiography, “Blood, Sweat and My Rock ’n’ Roll Years,” published in 2015.

But what he’s actually more interested in talking about is his earlier years as a (very) young musician in New York City’s Greenwich Village, when a new kid in town, Bob Dylan, was couch surfing and making a name for himself, and when Katz was learning from some of the masters of blues and folk music.

Katz has lived quietly in Kent, Conn., for many years now. He doesn’t stride around town in leathers and rock star jewelry; he’s a fairly low-key guy of a certain age, perhaps most famous in the area as the supportive husband of Alison Palmer, who is sort of a rock star herself in the local community of ceramic artists.

Katz will occasionally do concerts and shows in the Tri-state region, and he has one coming up on Saturday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. on Zoom hosted by Dewey Hall in Sheffield, Mass. Admission to the online show is free, but donations are requested; Dewey Hall, like most entertainment venues, is struggling through the COVID-19 quarantine. 

There will most likely be a smattering of Blood, Sweat & Tears lore, and perhaps a song or two that Katz wrote and performed with the band. He will probably talk a bit about his first band, the respected Blues Project. He might talk a bit about his days as a music producer for some of the most important names of the 20th century, including Lou Reed.

But mostly his shows are an intimate combination of stories and a timeline of American popular music, from the blues to classic rock. 

To read more about Steve Katz and hear a sample of his music, go to https://stevekatzmusic.wordpress.com/about. To sign up for the Zoom concert, go to www.deweyhall.org.

Latest News

Legal Notices - November 6, 2025

Legal Notice

The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2025-0303 by owner Camp Sloane YMCA Inc to construct a detached apartment on a single family residential lot at 162 Indian Mountain Road, Lakeville, Map 06, Lot 01 per Section 208 of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 5:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. The application materials will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/planning-zoning-meeting-documents/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies of the agenda, meeting instructions, and application materials may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury CT.

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - November 6, 2025

Help Wanted

Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.

Services Offered

Deluxe Professional Housecleaning: Experience the peace of a flawlessly maintained home. For premium, detail-oriented cleaning, call Dilma Kaufman at 860-491-4622. Excellent references. Discreet, meticulous, trustworthy, and reliable. 20 years of experience cleaning high-end homes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indigo girls: a collaboration in process and pigment
Artist Christy Gast
Photo by Natalie Baxter

In Amenia this fall, three artists came together to experiment with an ancient process — extracting blue pigment from freshly harvested Japanese indigo. What began as a simple offer from a Massachusetts farmer to share her surplus crop became a collaborative exploration of chemistry, ecology and the art of making by hand.

“Collaboration is part of our DNA as people who work with textiles,” said Amenia-based artist Christy Gast as she welcomed me into her vast studio. “The whole history of every part of textile production has to do with cooperation and collaboration,” she continued.

Keep ReadingShow less