Steve Katz has been around for two tours of duty with the Blood, Sweat and Tears experience.

"I left after the first six years, then I came back 35 years later," said Katz, one of the founding members of the band that helped create the fusion of brassy pop and jazz music, in a phone interview from his Connecticut home.The latest edition of Blood, Sweat and Tears will make its Penn's Peak debut on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m.Blood, Sweat and Tears was formed in 1968. The original line-up featured Al Kooper, known for his session work with Bob Dylan and others, on vocals and keyboards. In addition to Kooper and Katz, the rest of the founding members included Jim Fielder, Fred Lipsius, Randy Brecker, Jerry Weiss, Dick Halligan and Bobby Colomby.BS&T's debut album, "Child is the Father to the Man," was a critical success and paved the way for other horn-oriented rock bands, such as Chicago.Kooper was gone by the second album, but BS&T went on to reach its commercial peak with the addition of Canadian singer David Clayton-Thomas.BS&T's self-titled sophomore effort topped the Billboard chart and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1970, beating out The Beatles' "Abbey Road."The album included the band's signature songs "You've Made Me So Very Happy" (written by Berry Gordy and Brenda Holloway) "And When I Die (a Laura Nyro composition)," and "Spinning Wheel" (penned by Clayton-Thomas). All three hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.The next album, "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" also hit number one in 1970 and featured two more hits, with a version of Carole King's "Hi-De-Ho" and Clayton-Thomas' "Lucretia MacEvil."The band released six more albums that charted during the 1970's, including a multi-million selling greatest hits album.While BS&T pioneered the jazz rock sound, it was also among the first American bands to play Eastern Europe (on a State Department sponsored tour) and perform in Las Vegas, although the counter-culture of the time didn't approve of those moves."In those days, everyone was against materialism and commercialism," said Katz. "We had a critically acclaimed first album. which was fun. The second time, we had the critical acclaim but we also had hit singles, and we lost the hipster, underground appeal. We felt we were just making music."When we played Las Vegas, it was a kick in the rear to the counterculture. Now, every band in the world wants to play Las Vegas, so we were pioneers in that respect, too."Katz stressed that the band was well aware of what was happening in the world around them at the time."During our shows I talk about Vietnam vets, who were over there listening to our records," he said. "We had parallel careers. They were working their butts off over there, and they were still clued in to what we were doing."Since then, BS&T's sound has endured. The band's hits remain on radio playlists.BS&T has also been a vehicle for musicians to hone their chops over the years."We have been more of an institution that an oldies band," explained Katz. "We've had some really great musicians who have used this as a stepping stone to go on to bigger and better things. It's been a clearing house for really wonderful musicians."The current roster includes Katz on vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica; Rob Paparozzi on vocals; Dave Gellis on guitar; Glenn McClelland on keyboards; Gary Foote on bass guitar; Andrea Valentini on drums; and the horn section of Teddy Mulet, Steve Jankowski (both on trumpet), Jens Wendelboe (trombone) and Tom Timko (saxophone)."Some of the guys in the band have been here much longer than I was the first time around," noted Katz. "One reason I believe musicians like the play with us is because we give them plenty of room to breathe on stage."The band still performs the hits that made it famous, although it will explore different arrangements."Naturally, we do the hits, but we also throw in some new things," said Katz. "We enjoy playing them, but we get to stretch out, too. Whenever you change tempos, it will give you a different feel."BS&T is also capable of surprises. Katz mentioned the band performs a horn-driven cover of Talking Heads' hit "Burning Down the House."The band does about 40 concerts a year now, according to Katz, and is considering entering the studio to record new music next year; Katz is also considering a solo CD.The music industry has changed considerably since BS&T broke on the scene. Now, digital downloads mean as much as selling records, CDs and tapes."When we first started, the music business was a lot smaller, and there was a lot of competition," he mentioned. "You had to have a second hit song, then a third hit song. We don't worry about that anymore. Concerts are a lot better."Katz is enjoying himself with BS&T the second time around. "I feel like Rip Van Winkle, 35 years later," he stated."Being able to do this for 43 years is an amazing feeling. Very few businesses last this long. I love it when I go into a grocery store and hear one of our songs on the sound system. They are now part of American culture."Blood, Sweat and Tears will perform at Penn's Peak onThursday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $29 in advance and $34 the day of the show for general admission seating. Tickets are available on-line at

www.ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets, including Boscov's and Gallery of Sound, as well as at the Penn's Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant. For more information, call (866) 605-PEAK.