Today’s classic song of the day comes from Blood, Sweat & Tears and their imaginatively titled third album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3. Released as a single in August of 1970, his one peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Hi-De-Ho” was written by the stellar team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Carole released it first when she was in a band called The City, on their 1968 album Now That Everything’s Been Said. Dusty Springfield then recorded the song (called, in both instances, “That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)”) for a never-released follow-up to her Dusty in Memphis album; the song eventually saw release as a B-side to her “Willie & Laura Mae Jones” single (which was also originally intended for that not-to-be follow-up album).
It was BS&T who made the song a hit, however. Fred Lipsius did the arrangement, and the horns really added a lot to the song. It was the first and highest-charting single from the BS&T 3 album.
The band on this track included David Clayton-Thomas on lead vocals, Steve Katz on guitar and that wonderful harmonica solo, Dick Halligan on organ, Fred Lipsius on piano, Lew Soloff and Chuck Winfield on trumpets, Jerry Hyman on trombone, Jim Fielder on bass, and the immortal Bobby Colomby on drums. Bobby Colomby and Roy Halee produced.
As good as BS&T were on record, they were even better live. So here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Blood, Sweat & Tears performing “Hi-De-Ho” live at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on September 20, 1970. It just doesn’t get much better than this.
Michael, love to read your insight of these individuals and the group songs and backgrounds. It never gets old.