Jackie Santos
Joaquim Santos
New Bedford, U.S.A [50’s]
Instrumentalist (drums, percussion), teacher.
Percussionist Jackie Santos performed several years as a studio and stage musician, accompanied many musicians and bands, including the legend Chuck Berry, pioneer of rock, and the Tavares Brothers, the Cape Verdean descent group in the U.S. that had its heyday in the early 80’s with whom Jackie traveled the world on tour.
Since 1989, the group went into decline, and he was invited by the Beaver Brown Band with whom he participated in movies like Eddie and the Cruisers (I AND II), where he plays Michael Tunes, a Cape Verdean descent.
He developed his interest in music early on. At ten years old he was fascinated by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Motown artists, but later were the jazz drummers that captivated him. One day his teacher took him to a concert from the drummer Buddy Rich, who was an idol to him, and this was a very touching moment of his life since he ended up playing at the concert.
“I always tell my students, ‘You have to ask yourself two questions.’ You have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Do I have the talent to succeed?’ The second question, which is the most important, is, ‘Am I willing to work hard to succeed?’”
Jackie Santos in
After 1995, Jackie Santos taught an instrument at Berklee College of Music and performed every once in a while. Jackie Santos is considered one of the most influential drummers in 1980 and 1990 in the book The Commandments of R&B Drumming: A Comprehensive Guide to Soul, Funk and Hip Hop (1998), by the drummer Zoro.
In 2017, Jackie Santos was honored at the 8th edition of the annual “Cape Verdean Recognition Gala Celebration”.
