Who is Cindy Blackman? Everything you need to know about Carlos Santana’s wife

Carlos Santana’s wife, drummer Cindy Blackman, certainly shares his love music.

The 76-year-old guitarist first met Blackman at a festival in Europe and she would go on to play alongside her future husband in spring 2010.

Santana was reportedly enamoured with her from the start and he proposed to her, on-stage, later that year. The proposal came after Blackman had finished a drum solo. The pair have now been married for 13 years and continue to perform together.

Santana had asked God for “a queen”

In a recent interview with People, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said that he had prayed for someone like Blackman to come into his life. Santana had finalised his divorce from his first wife, Deborah King, in 2007 and wanted someone to spend the rest of his life with.

“I was meditating and talking to God, and I said, ‘I need a queen to come home to share this. Love is unconditional, and I need someone who loves me and grows with me,’” Santana recalled.

“And next thing I know, here comes Cindy. The way Cindy walked like a New York woman, filled with confidence. I was like, ‘Damn.’”

The pair’s musical interest has clearly played a key part in their relationship and Santana said that their conversations frequently focus on the likes of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. However it was Blackman’s personality that really captured Santana’s attention.

“I’ve always been infatuated with strong women because my mother was like that,” he explained. “The way [Cindy] looks at me, the way she touches me, it’s like she’s my best friend.”

Cindy Blackman’s musical career

The 63-year-old is a rarity in the music industry, a female drummer who has enjoyed an extensive career as a percussionist. She enrolled at the Hartt School of Music at the age of 11 and got her first professional drum set at 14.

After featuring on Ted Curson’s ‘Jazz Stars of the Future’ and the Wallace Roney album ‘Verses’ she would go on to embark on the most significant spell of her career.

In 1993 she began an 18-year stint as Lenny Kravitz’s touring drummer, playing with the jazz legend at shows around the world. At points she broke away from the busy touring schedule to work on her own projects.

In 2020 Blackman released a 17-track album entitled ‘Give the Drummer Some’, on which she also provided the vocal on 11 tracks. Most recently, she worked with Chris Stapleton and Snoop Dogg to create a new anthem for Monday Night Football.