Don Blackman

Don Blackman
Don Blackman
Born	September 1, 1953; Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S.
Died	April 11, 2013 (aged 59); New York City
Genres	Jazz, funk, R&B, soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, pianist
Instrument(s)	Piano, vocals
Labels	Arista, RCA

Don (Donald) Blackman (September 1, 1953 – April 11, 2013) was an American

Earth, Wind and Fire; and Louis Hayes

.

Biography

Blackman was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, NY. A childhood neighbor was

Earth, Wind and Fire, and Roy Ayers, before becoming a member of Lenny White's group Twennynine, for whom he penned songs such as "Peanut Butter" and "Morning Sunrise". He released his self-titled debut solo album in 1982 on Arista Records, including the songs "Holding You, Loving You", "Heart's Desire" and "Since You've Been Away So Long" that became major hits in Europe

.

Blackman also worked as a

I Got The Hook Up. ^{[citation needed}

]

On television, he scored and wrote music for commercials, TV shows, and movies, appearing on

MTV Network movie Joe's Apartment. ^{[citation needed}

]

Death

Don Blackman died, aged 59, from cancer, on April 11, 2013.^[1] Blackman is survived by his son Kyle Blackman, who is a DJ in New York, NY, and daughter, jazz-funk singer Irene Blackman, who toured with Blackman throughout the years.