Last updated: 6 hours ago
Pianist/singer/songwriter Don Blackman, born in 1953 in Queens, New York, grew up surrounded by jazz influences; a cousin was <a href="spotify:artist:2EsmKkHsXK0WMNGOtIhbxr">McCoy Tyner</a>'s friend and saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:6iRat96avb9tai5DCUZ7qf">Charles McPherson</a> -- a <a href="spotify:artist:4Ww5mwS7BWYjoZTUIrMHfC">Charlie Parker</a> disciple -- was Blackman's neighbor. Blackman played with <a href="spotify:artist:6iRat96avb9tai5DCUZ7qf">McPherson</a>'s group in 1968 alongside <a href="spotify:artist:1kAv08slEx0DSJkSOrKlsY">Sam Jones</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5Ouogjg668pTmPkpgI8z0L">Louis Hayes</a> when he was 15 years old. He switched to electric piano and toured with Parliament/<a href="spotify:artist:450o9jw6AtiQlQkHCdH6Ru">Funkadelic</a> in the early '70s. He later became an original member of <a href="spotify:artist:478WAnkTtQach00La2gvxR">Lenny White</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:4lrBQQ6NR1pj1nSzsPs7sI">Twennynine</a> ("Peanut Butter"), a key piece in Jamaica Queens' '70s' jazz-funk explosion. A deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22GRP%22">GRP</a>/<a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Arista%22">Arista</a> birthed the solo LP Don Blackman (1982), a good set saddled by poor promotion. His extensive résumé included <a href="spotify:artist:25TKXk9zo9yk0HMJQ3TuE9">Kurtis Blow</a> sessions and singing "Haboglabotrin" on <a href="spotify:artist:2g8J4iI5qyYFMVHcpMcSsS">Bernard Wright</a>'s 'Nard album. A fixture in New York studios, he worked on sessions for a long list of artists including <a href="spotify:artist:41F8cUV8LJGVDPNnj0ito3">Najee</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7vNcTk9TgKF0qDsS87nWGE">David Sanborn</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6R9Mv0bgGE4Tqxna1q5Mrj">Roy Ayers</a>, and his composition "Live to Kick It" graced <a href="spotify:artist:1ZwdS5xdxEREPySFridCfh">2Pac</a>'s R U Still Down? (Remember Me) release. Don Blackman died on April 11, 2013 after battling cancer; he was 59 years old. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi
Monthly Listeners
46,037
Monthly Listeners History
Track the evolution of monthly listeners over the last 28 days.
Followers
12,902
Followers History
Track the evolution of followers over the last 28 days.
Top Cities
3,554 listeners
727 listeners
690 listeners
602 listeners
561 listeners
