Cindy Blackman Santana Biography

Cynthia R. Blackman, better known as Cindy Blackman Santana, is an American rock and jazz drummer known for her albums, ‘Works on Canvas’ and ‘Another Lifetime.’ Female jazz percussionists are rare and she is considered to be one of the best among them. Born in Ohio, she spent her later childhood in Connecticut, where she attended the ‘Hartt School of Music’ and then studied under Alan Dawson at the ‘Berklee College of Music,’ Boston. Blackman has been creating great music since the beginning of her career as a street performer in New York during the 1980s, to the present day. Her recording career as a drummer started in the late 80s. Apart from producing critically acclaimed albums such as ‘Another Lifetime’ (2010), she has toured and recorded with other artists like Don Pullen, Hugh Masakela, Angela Bofill, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, and Cassandra Wilson among others. She was the tour drummer of Lenny Kravitz’s band for a number of years. In 2010, she was one of the artists at the all-star show, ‘Bitches Brew,’ at ‘San Francisco Jazz Festival’ and ‘New York City Winter Jazz Fest.’ Blackman married well-known guitarist Carlos Santana in 2010.