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Thomas "Blackjack" Rutley is an African American musician who performed with the band Santana in the early 1970s. Thanks in a large part to Rutley's jazz fusion bass playing, Santana's album Caravanseral went platinum. Worried that the band was moving away from it's "Top 40" status, studio executives arranged for Rutley's departure from the band. In some part, Rutley's checkered past may have helped in the decision to retire him from the band.