Carlos Santana Engaged to Cindy Blackman Following Onstage Proposal at Chicago Stop of Santana's Universal Tone Tour 2010

LOS ANGELES, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Musician and philanthropist Carlos Santana proposed to acclaimed drummer Cindy Blackman onstage during his Friday, July 9 concert at the Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL.  Carlos popped the question four songs into the show—the Chicago area stop on Santana's Universal Tone Tour 2010—following Cindy's virtuoso drum solo on the Santana hit "Corazon Espinado."  After she accepted, the just-engaged couple kissed, and the audience broke out into cheers.

"Cindy and I are blessed to have found each other," said Carlos Santana.  "Being in love is a gift from the universe, and the spirit and vibrations that come with it are infinitely powerful.  I look forward to expressing that incredible energy through my music, and in helping to tip the balance toward more love in the world with what Cindy and I share."

Santana's engagement to Blackman comes almost two months into the first leg of the Universal Tone Tour 2010, with North American dates featuring Steve Winwood as opener.  Blackman is a jazz and rock drummer who has recorded and toured extensively with Lenny Kravitz, and played with a wide range of artists including Pharoah Sanders, Cassandra Wilson, and Bill Laswell.

The Universal Tone Tour's second leg begins late September with a month-long European itinerary that follows a string of late August/early September performances of Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through The Hits at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. The Joint is the only place west of the Mississippi where Santana will play live in the U.S. through 2010 (supernaturalsantana.com).

The Universal Tone Tour 2010 presents hits from Santana's four-decades-long career, as well as songs from a forthcoming album.  Set for release September 21 on Arista Records, Guitar Heaven: Santana Performs The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time is the first new studio album by the Santana Band since its trilogy of consecutive, award-winning blockbuster releases: Supernatural (1999), Shaman (2002), and All That I Am (2005).  As with those earlier classic Arista titles, Guitar Heaven—featuring guest vocalists including Pat Monahan, Joe Cocker, Rob Thomas, and Gavin Rossdale—was co-produced by Carlos Santana and legendary music executive Clive Davis.  Their partnership dates back to 1968, when Davis first signed Santana to Columbia Records—after seeing them at San Francisco's Fillmore West, at Bill Graham's request.

Santana's most recent release was the 2010 reissue of Supernatural as a 2-CD Legacy Edition—featuring 11 previously unissued bonus tracks—in celebration of the classic nine-time GRAMMY-winning album's 10th anniversary.

For more information: www.santana.com

SOURCE Santana