Dick Halligan, a founding member of the Grammy-winning jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears, has died. He was 78.
After earning his masters from the Manhattan School of Music in theory and composition, Halligan continued honing his sound in New York when his friend Fred Lipsius, the original saxophonist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, asked him to join their ranks.
“Halligan initially turned him down, but later changed his mind when they said they were going to California – a place Halligan wanted to see,” the release read.
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During their heyday, the band was the first to tour behind the former Iron Curtain, and performed at the legendary Woodstock Festival in August 1969, according to theirwebsite.
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Playing piano, organ, trombone, flute and accordion on Blood, Sweat & Tears' first four albums, Halligan left the band in 1971 and turned his talents to composing and performing in various jazz and classical groups, perSyracuse.com.
Leaning into his love of composing, he scored films includingThe Owl and the PussycatandGo Tell the Spartansin the 1970s.
source: people.com
