John Blackwell (musician)

John Blackwell Jr. (September 9, 1973 – July 4, 2017) was an American contemporary R&B, funk, jazz, fusion, and pop drummer, best known for his work with Prince.

He learned from his father, John Blackwell Sr., a drummer himself, who played with Mary Wells, King Curtis, Joe Simon, J.J. Jackson, The Drifters, The Spinners, and others.

[2] Blackwell stated that he experienced synesthesia since he was a child, seeing colors for musical notes, and was identified as having perfect pitch while in high school.

After high school, he attended Berklee College of Music and worked steadily in local Boston jazz clubs.

[2] Blackwell moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to look for more drumming work, and got a job playing with Patti LaBelle for three years.

Blackwell toured with Japanese singer Hikaru Utada, and then joined Prince's band, The New Power Generation, in September 2000.