Smokin' Gio

Back in the Saddle May 8, 2026

Posted by Smokin' Gio in Uncategorized.
Tags: cancer, health, life, chemotherapy, breast-cancer, multiple myeloma
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Thanks to those of you who have been interested in my cancer posting. It has been interesting, if not arduous, to say the least. Since July of 2019, I’ve been to hell and back.

I’m posting this to say that there is a light and an end to the tunnel. As of May 2026, I have been tested to be in remission. Since starting this path that I have been on, I have released three recordings that can be found on the popular music sites (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.).

For YouTube click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtKzCk2YVyhmsKWIc_Qpa1w

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07ftq7vRFOz2dzyLioiwlO

Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/artist/gio-blackmon/1652105426

The cancer, Multiple Myeloma, has been found to be one of the easier cancers to manage, if caught early. Mine was not the case. By the time my cancer was discovered, my vertebrae had been broken to the point that my orthopedic surgeon wanted to go in and cement my broken bones back together. I decided against that only out of the fear that it would cause me to lose range of motion. My orthopedic surgeon reassured me that the bones in my back had broken to the point that some of the broken pieces may move and cause damage to my spinal column and paralyze me. I lost about three inches in height, but the choice was mine. Some other people had advised me against the operation and I decided to forfeit that option. It also left me in a brace to stabilize my back. The brace also helps out when my back gets tired at the end of the day. You may be able to see it in some of my videos.

This is one of my favorite videos. It’s one of the first videos I recorded. It is also one that I get a lot of compliments on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RTiYuYdyuA

I’ve been through a couple of wild procedures. The first were bone marrow biopsies. These were to find out if and how much of the cancer was in the bones. I had a hospital stay that lasted about two weeks when I was first diagnosed. The biopsies were the contributing factor to my going home after the first couple of weeks.

The second and most critical was the bone marrow transplant. This was the toughest of all of the procedures. I had a port put in my shoulder and went home. Once I got home the port kept leaking and I was back in the hospital to get another port. That one also leaked and I went back to the hospital again. My oncologist decided that she had enough blood for the transfusion and I wouldn’t need another port.

At this point, I have to give thanks to my oncologist, Dr. Hana Safah, who was absolutely amazing following my progress and leading me to my recovery.

It took three weeks for me to recover from the bone marrow transplant. My hair started to fall out the second day. My son helped my get out of bed to shower and all we saw on the shower floor was my hair. It was difficult getting out of bed during this period. My doctor kept saying it was important for me to get out of bed and do something, but I barely found the strngth to do so, despitte her saying, “Your numbers look good. You have to get out of bed.” Mostly what kept me in bed was the constant urge to vomit. But eventually, I got out of bed.

After all that I went through at the hospital, I decided that taking my time and slowing down made more sense than trying to keep up with the pace that had me doing shows three to four times a week. After the first few months, I was doing chemotherapy every other week. At the beginning, it started out at once a week. About six months after I was doing every other week, my oncologist decided that once a month would be enough.

I made writing music and recording what I had more of the priority. I made a bunch of videos in my house. Performing onstage is more fun than you can imagine, but it also takes more out of you than most will talk about. It brings challenges with how large will the performing venue be? Will I have enough equipment to fill the hall? Can I help with load-ins and loadouts? Music equipment is very heavy. And my orthopedic surgeon recommended that I stay away from lifting objects more than 20 pounds. So I decided to stay away from the stage.

Recent statistics involving musicians and performing concert tours make the case for staying at home a smart move. Musicians who have been on the touring circuit have been finding it harder to fill the larger stadiums and halls. Cancellations have been on the rise due to the fact that ticket prices have been going through the roof to see top and mid-level performers. I really hate saying it, but if you want to see me perform, you’ll have to travel to New Orleans or watch my videos.

My age has also been a factor in my slowing down. Being born in February of 1958, that makes me 68 years old at the time of this writing. An age I find easier to write and mentor. There have been other musicians to pass through the studio, of whom I’m proud to say I have helped to kickstart their careers.

I had some serious heartbreaks. I lost my grandson at the age of 17. I also lost my sister. Who was also diagnosed with cancer. Hers was breast cancer. She was also a musician and played mostly on the streets of New Orleans, but could be found touring internationally with her music partner Tanya Huang. They can also be found on YouTube and go by the name Tanya and Dorise.

They can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tanya+and+dorise

As I was going through my healing process, I found strength in doing what I loved. Music. It carried me through the hardest and deepest moments of my healing. I tried performing and did the best I could There were times when the performing was good and times when my performances didn’t measure up to my earlier standards. I have a recording studio attached to my house which made it easy to record without traveling far or having to work around other people’s schedule.

I have decided to grow my subscribers and listener base organically. I like the old adage, ‘If you build it, they will come’. I also know, if it isn’t good, you’ll scare people away. I hope that the music I made during my healing process touches people in different ways and brings a new light to what can happen with patience and perseverance. The music I wrote had meaning to me at the time and came out of what I experienced, as well as what I saw in other people’s lives.

The first release, “24, Vol. 1”, came out of what I saw in my sister’s life. After her loss, I looked at her life and said things in music I thought she was unable to say. She was an incredible musician, but preferred not to write original and enjoyed playing other people’s music that audiences could relate to. She also performed on the song, “Whisper My Name”.

The second release was an EP I decided to drop just because I didn’t have enough music of that style to make a full release. These are songs that were on heart at the time.

“24.5” also fell into the EP category. I have more music to release with it, but I wanted to get that off my desk. I had other projects that I have been working on for other people and a dance theater project where I wrote all of the music for.

I hope I didn’t long in the tooth or boring, but I wanted to let you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And those who have looked me up and were concerned about my progress. There you have it.

Good luck to those who read this because you too have been hit with multiple myeloma and have concerns about your prognosis.