Artist Info
Born
1953 Queens, NYBiography
Pianist/singer/writer Don Blackman, born 1953 in Queens, NY, grew up surrounded by jazz influences; a cousin was McCoy Tyner's friend and saxophonist Charles McPherson -- a Charlie Parker disciple -- was Blackman's neighbor. Blackman played with McPherson's group in 1968 alongside Sam Jones and Louis Hayes when he was 15 years old.He switched to electric piano and toured with Parliarment/Funkadellic in the early '70s. He later became an original member of Lenny White's Twennynine ("Peanut Butter"), a key piece in Jamaica Queens' '70s' jazz-funk explosion. A deal with GRP/Arista birthed the solo LP Don Blackman (1982), a good set saddled by poor promotion.
His extensive resumé includes Kurtis Blow sessions and singing "Haboglabotrin" on Bernard Wright's 'Nard album. A fixture in New York studios, he has worked on sessions for a long list of artists including Nagee, David Sanborn, and Roy Ayers. And his composition "Live to Kick It" graced Tu-Pac's R U Still Down (Remember Me) release. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
