Carlos Santana - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Carlos_Santana

Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana audio (born July 20, 1947) is a
Carlos Santana
Mexican and American musician who first became
famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band,
Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin
American jazz. e band's sound featured his melodic,
blues-based guitar lines set against Latin and African
rhythms featuring percussion instruments such as
timbales and congas not generally heard in rock music.
Santana continued to work in these forms over the
following decades. He experienced a resurgence of
popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2003
Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 20[2] on
their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[3] He
has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy
Awards.[4]

Santana in 2000
Background information
Contents Born July 20, 1947
Autlán de Navarro,
Biography
Jalisco, Mexico
Early life
Early career Origin San Francisco,
Santana California, United
Record deal, Woodstock breakthrough States
and height of success: 1969–72
Genres Latin rock · blues
Caravanserai
rock · jazz fusion
Shifting styles and spirituality:
1972–79 Occupation(s) Musician ·
The 1980s songwriter ·
Return to commercial success bandleader
Influences Instruments Guitar · percussion ·
Equipment vocals
Guitars and effects
Years active 1965–present
Amplifiers
Labels RCA[1] · Arista ·
Personal life
Polydor · Columbia ·
Discography CGD · PolyGram
Memoir
Associated acts Santana · Los
Awards and nominations Lonely Boys · John
References McLaughlin · Maná ·

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Sources Herbie Hancock

Further reading Website santana.com

(http://santana.com)
External links

Biography

Early life
Santana was born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico. He learned to play the violin at age five and the guitar at
age eight under the tutelage of his father, a mariachi musician. His younger brother, Jorge Santana, would also
become a professional guitarist. Young Carlos was heavily influenced by Ritchie Valens at a time when there were
very few Mexicans in American rock and pop music. e family moved from Autlán de Navarro to Tijuana, the city
on Mexico's border with California, and then San Francisco. Carlos stayed in Tijuana but later joined his family in
San Francisco. During his early years from the age of 10-12 he was sexually molested by an American man who
brought him across the border.[5]

Living in the Mission District, and eventually graduating from James Lick Middle School, and in 1965 from Mission
High School. Carlos was accepted at California State University, Northridge, and Humboldt State University, but
chose not to aend college.[6]

Early career
Santana was influenced by popular artists of the 1950s such as B.B. King,
"e '60s were a leap in human
T-Bone Walker, and John Lee Hooker.[8] Soon aer he began playing
consciousness. Mahatma
guitar, he joined local bands along the "Tijuana Strip" where he was able Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin
to begin adding his own unique touch to '50s Rock 'n' Roll.[8] He was Luther King, Che Guevara,
also introduced to a variety of new musical influences, including jazz Mother Teresa, they led a
revolution of conscience. e
and folk music, and witnessed the growing hippie movement centered in
Beatles, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix
San Francisco in the 1960s. Aer several years spent working as a created revolution and evolution
dishwasher in a diner and busking for spare change, Santana decided to themes. e music was like Dalí,
become a full-time musician. In 1966 he gained prominence due to a with many colors and
series of accidental events, all happening on the same day. Santana was a revolutionary ways. e youth
of today must go there to find
frequent spectator at Bill Graham's Fillmore West. During a Sunday
themselves."
matinee show, Paul Buerfield was slated to perform there but was
– Carlos Santana[7]
unable to do so as a result of being intoxicated. Graham assembled an
impromptu band of musicians he knew primarily through his
connections with Buerfield's band and with the Grateful Dead and
Jefferson Airplane, but he had not yet chosen all the guitarists. Santana's manager, Stan Marcum, immediately
suggested to Graham that Santana join the impromptu band and Graham agreed. During the jam session, Santana's
guitar playing and solo gained the notice of both the audience and Graham.[9] During the same year, Santana
formed the Santana Blues Band, with fellow street musicians David Brown (bass guitar), Marcus Malone
(percussion) and Gregg Rolie (lead vocals, Hammond Organ B3).[10] He was later signed to Columbia where his

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band name, "Santana Blues Band" was shortened to, "Santana" that released a series of hit albums with an Afro-
Cuban and Latin Rock feel thanks to Carlos' exquisite guitar playing, characterized by the self-sustaining melody
that became his trademark.[11]

With their highly original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa and African rhythms, the band (which
quickly adopted their frontman's name, Santana) gained an immediate following on the San Francisco club circuit.
e band's early success, capped off by a memorable performance at Woodstock in 1969, led to him signing a
recording contract with Columbia Records, then run by Clive Davis.

Santana

Record deal, Woodstock breakthrough and height of success:

1969–72
Santana was signed by CBS Records and went into the studio to record their first album in January 1969. ey were
not satisfied with the subsequent release (which consisted of tracks recorded in May 1969) and decided changes
needed to be made. is resulted in the dismissal of drummer Bob Livingston. Santana replaced him with Mike
Shrieve, who had a strong background in both jazz and rock. Percussionist Marcus Malone was forced to quit the
band due to involuntary manslaughter charges, and the band re-enlisted Michael Carabello. Carabello brought with
him percussionist Jose Chepito Areas, who was already well known in his native Nicaragua, and, with his skills
and professional experience, was a major contributor to the band.

Bill Graham, a Latin Music aficionado, had been a fan of the band from its inception, and arranged for them to
appear at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival before their debut album was even released. ey were one of the
surprises of the festival; their set was legendary and later the exposure of their eleven-minute instrumental "Soul
Sacrifice" in the Woodstock film and soundtrack album vastly increased their popularity. Graham also gave the band
some key advice to record the Willie Bobo song "Evil Ways", as he felt it would get them radio airplay. eir first
album, Santana, was released in August 1969 and became a huge hit, reaching #4 on the U.S. album charts.

In 1969, the band's performance at the Woodstock festival

introduced them to an international audience and garnered critical
acclaim, although the band's sudden success put pressure on the
group, highlighting the different musical directions in which Rolie
and Santana were starting to go. Rolie, along with some of the other
band members, wanted to emphasize a basic hard rock sound which
had been a key component in establishing the band from the start.

Santana performing in Hamburg Santana, however, was increasingly interested in moving beyond his
in November 1973 love of blues and rock and wanted more jazzy, ethereal elements in
the music, which were influenced by his fascination with Gábor
Szabó, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, and John Coltrane, as well as
his growing interest in spirituality. At the same time, Chepito Areas was stricken with a near-fatal brain
hemorrhage, and Santana hoped to continue by finding a temporary replacement (first Willie Bobo, then Coke
Escovedo), while others in the band, especially Michael Carabello, felt it was wrong to perform publicly without
Areas. Cliques formed, and the band started to disintegrate.

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Consolidating the interest generated by their first album, and their highly acclaimed live performance at the
Woodstock Festival in August 1969, the band followed up with their second album, Abraxas, in September 1970.
e album's mix of rock, blues, jazz, salsa and other influences was very well received, showing a musical
maturation from their first album and refining the band's early sound. Abraxas included two of Santana's most
enduring and well-known hits, "Oye Como Va", and "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy een". Abraxas spent six weeks
at #1 on the Billboard chart at the end of 1970.[12] e album remained on the charts for 88 weeks and was
certified 4x platinum in 1986.[13] In 2003 the album was ranked number 205 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the
500 greatest albums of all time.[14]

Teenage San Francisco Bay Area guitar prodigy Neal Schon joined the Santana band in 1971, in time to complete
the third album, Santana III. e band now boasted a powerful dual-lead-guitar act that gave the album a tougher
sound. e sound of the band was also helped by the return of a recuperated Chepito Areas and the assistance of
Coke Escovedo in the percussion section. Enhancing the band's sound further was the support of popular Bay Area
group Tower of Power's horn section, Luis Gasca of Malo, and other session musicians which added to both
percussion and vocals, injecting more energy to the proceedings. Santana III was another success, reaching #1 on
the album charts, selling two million copies, and yielding the hits "Everybody's Everything" and "No One to
Depend On".

Tension between members of the band continued, however. Along

with musical differences, drug use became a problem, and Santana
was deeply worried that it was affecting the band's performance.
Coke Escovedo encouraged Santana to take more control of the
band's musical direction, much to the dismay of some of the others
who thought that the band and its sound was a collective effort.
Also, financial irregularities were exposed while under the
management of Stan Marcum, whom Bill Graham criticized as being
incompetent. Growing resentments between Santana and Michael New Year's Eve 1976 at the Cow
Carabello over lifestyle issues resulted in his departure on bad Palace in San Francisco
terms. James Mingo Lewis was hired at the last minute as a
replacement at a concert in New York City. David Brown later le
due to substance abuse problems. A South American tour was cut short in Lima, Peru, due to unruly fans and to
student protests against U.S. governmental policies.

In January 1972, Santana, Schon, Escovedo, and Lewis joined former Band of Gypsys drummer, Buddy Miles, for a
concert at Hawaii's Diamond Head Crater, which was recorded for the album Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live!.
e performance was erratic and uneven, but the album managed to achieve gold-record status on the weight of
Santana's popularity.

Caravanserai
In early 1972, Santana and the remaining members of the band started working on their fourth album,
Caravanserai. During the studio sessions, Santana and Michael Shrieve brought in other musicians: percussionists
James Mingo Lewis and Latin-Jazz veteran, Armando Peraza replacing Michael Carabello, and bassists Tom Rutley
and Doug Rauch replacing David Brown. Also assisting on keyboards were Wendy Haas and Tom Coster. With the
unseling influx of new players in the studio, Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon decided that it was time to leave aer

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the completion of the album, even though both contributed to the session. Rolie returned home to Seale, and later,
along with Schon, became a founding member of Journey.

When Caravanserai did emerge in 1972, it marked a strong change in musical direction towards jazz fusion. e
album received critical praise, but CBS executive Clive Davis warned Santana and the band that it would sabotage
the band's position as a "Top 40" act. Nevertheless, over the years, the album would achieve platinum status. e
difficulties Santana and the band went through during this period were chronicled in Ben Fong-Torres' Rolling
Stone 1972 cover story "e Resurrection of Carlos Santana".

Santana met Deborah King, whom he later married in 1973. She is the daughter of late blues singer and guitarist
Saunders King. ey have three children: Salvador, Stella and Angelica. Together with wife Deborah, Santana
founded a not-for-profit organization, the Milagro ("Miracle") Foundation, which provides financial aid for
educational, medical, and other needs.

Shifting styles and spirituality: 1972–79

In 1972, Santana became interested in the pioneering fusion band the Mahavishnu Orchestra and its guitarist, John
McLaughlin. Aware of Santana's interest in meditation, McLaughlin introduced Santana, and his wife Deborah, to
his guru, Sri Chinmoy. Chinmoy accepted them as disciples in 1973. Santana was given the name Devadip,
meaning "e lamp, light and eye of God". Santana and McLaughlin recorded an album together, Love, Devotion,
Surrender (1973) with members of Santana and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, along with percussionist Don Alias and
organist Larry Young, both of whom had made appearances, along with McLaughlin, on Miles Davis' classic 1970
album Bitches Brew.

In 1973, Santana, having obtained legal rights to the band's name, Santana, formed a new version of the band with
Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, Doug Rauch on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Tom
Coster and Richard Kermode on keyboards. Santana later was able to recruit jazz vocalist Leon omas for a tour
in Japan on July 3 and 4, 1973, which was recorded for the live, sprawling, high-energy triple vinyl LP fusion album
Lotus (1974). CBS records would not allow its release unless the material was condensed. Santana did not agree to
those terms, and Lotus was available in the U.S. only as an expensive, imported, three-record set. e group later
went into the studio and recorded Welcome (1973), which further reflected Santana's interests in jazz fusion and his
increasing commitment to the spiritual life of Sri Chinmoy.

A collaboration with John Coltrane's widow, Alice Coltrane, Illuminations (1974), followed. e album delved into
avant-garde esoteric free jazz, Eastern Indian and classical influences with other ex-Miles Davis sidemen Jack
DeJohnee and Dave Holland. Soon aer, Santana replaced his band members again. is time Kermode, omas
and Rauch departed from the group and were replaced by vocalist Leon Patillo (later a successful Contemporary
Christian artist) and returning bassist David Brown. He also recruited soprano saxophonist, Jules Broussard for the
lineup. e band recorded one studio album Borbolea, which was released in 1974. Drummer Leon "Ndugu"
Chancler later joined the band as a replacement for Michael Shrieve, who le to pursue a solo career.

By this time, Bill Graham's management company had assumed responsibility for the affairs of the group. Graham
was critical of Santana's move into jazz and felt he needed to concentrate on geing Santana back into the charts
with the edgy, streetwise ethnic sound that had made them famous. Santana himself was seeing that the group's
direction was alienating many fans. Although the albums and performances were given good reviews by critics in
jazz and jazz fusion circles, sales had plummeted.

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Santana, along with Tom Coster, producer David Rubinson, and Chancler,
formed yet another version of Santana, adding vocalist Greg Walker. e
1976 album Amigos, which featured the songs "Dance, Sister, Dance" and
"Let It Shine", had a strong funk and Latin sound. e album received
considerable airplay on FM album-oriented rock stations with the
instrumental "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" and re-introduced
Santana to the charts. In 1976 Rolling Stone ran a second cover story on
Santana entitled "Santana Comes Home".

Santana during his "inner
secrets" tour in the
Netherlands in 1978
Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.
e albums conceived through the late 1970s followed the same formula,
although with several lineup changes. Among the new personnel who
joined was current percussionist Raul Rekow, who joined in early 1977.
Most notable of the band's commercial efforts of this era was a version of
the 1960s Zombies hit, "She's Not ere", on the 1977 double album
Moonflower.
Santana recorded two solo projects in this time: Oneness: Silver Dreams –
Golden Reality, in 1979 and e Swing of Delight in 1980, which featured

e pressures and temptations of being a high-profile rock musician and requirements of the spiritual lifestyle
which guru Sri Chinmoy and his followers demanded were in conflict, and imposed considerable stress upon
Santana's lifestyle and marriage. He was becoming increasingly disillusioned with what he thought were the
unreasonable rules that Chinmoy imposed on his life, and in particular with his refusal to allow Santana and
Deborah to start a family. He felt too that his fame was being used to increase the guru's visibility. Santana and
Deborah eventually ended their relationship with Chinmoy in 1982.

The 1980s
More radio-friendly singles followed from Santana and the band.
"Winning" in 1981 (from Zebop) and "Hold On" (a remake of Canadian
artist Ian omas' song) in 1982 both reached the top twenty. Aer his
break with Sri Chinmoy, Santana went into the studio to record another
solo album with Keith Olson and legendary R&B producer Jerry Wexler.
e 1983 album Havana Moon revisited Santana's early musical
experiences in Tijuana with Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" and the title
cut, Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon". e album's guests included Booker T.
Jones, the Fabulous underbirds, Willie Nelson and even Santana's
father's mariachi orchestra. Santana again paid tribute to his early rock
roots by doing the film score to La Bamba, which was based on the life of
rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens and starred Lou Diamond Phillips.

e band Santana returned in 1985 with a new album, Beyond

Appearances, and two years later with Freedom. Santana in Barcelona,
Spain, 1984
Growing weary of trying to appease record company executives with

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formulaic hit records, Santana took great pleasure in jamming and

making guest appearances with notables such as the jazz fusion
group Weather Report, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, Blues legend John
Lee Hooker, Frank Franklin, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid,
and West African singer Salif Keita. He and Mickey Hart of the
Grateful Dead later recorded and performed with Nigerian drummer
Babatunde Olatunji, who conceived one of Santana's famous 1960s
drum jams, "Jingo". In 1988 Santana organized a reunion with past
L to R: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez,
members from the Santana band for a series of concert dates. CBS
and Santana in Hamburg, May
records released a 20-year retrospective of the band's
1984
accomplishments with Viva Santana! double CD compilation. at
same year Santana formed an all-instrumental group featuring jazz
legend Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano saxophone. e group also included Patrice Rushen on keyboards,
Alphonso Johnson on bass, Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler on
drums. ey toured briefly and received much acclaim from the music press, who compared the effort with the era
of Caravanserai (1972). Santana released another solo record, Blues for Salvador (1987), which won a Grammy
Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In 1990, Santana le Columbia Records aer twenty-two years and signed with Polygram. e following year he
made a guest appearance on Omar Liebert's album, Solo Para Ti (1991), on the songs "Reaching out 2 U" and on a
cover of his own song, "Samba Pa Ti". In 1992 Santana hired jam band Phish as his opening act.

Return to commercial success

Santana kicked off the 1990s with a new album Spirits Dancing in the
Flesh in 1990. is was followed by Milagro in 1992, a live album Sacred
Fire in 1993 and Brothers (a collaboration with his brother Jorge and
nephew Carlos Hernandez) in 1994. But sales were relatively poor.
Santana toured widely over the next few years but there were no
further new album releases, and eventually he was even without a
recording contract. However, Arista Records' Clive Davis, who had
worked with Santana at Columbia Records, signed him and encouraged
him to record a star-studded album with mostly younger artists. e
result was 1999's Supernatural, which included collaborations with Santana performing in 2000
Everlast, Rob omas of Matchbox Twenty, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill,
Wyclef Jean, Cee Lo Green, Maná, Dave Mahews, K. C. Porter, J. B.
Eckl, and others.

However, the lead single was what grabbed the aention of both fans and the music industry. "Smooth", a dynamic
cha-cha stop-start number co-wrien and sung by Rob omas of Matchbox Twenty, was laced throughout with
Santana's guitar fills and runs. e track's energy was immediately apparent on radio, and it was played on a wide
variety of station formats. "Smooth" spent twelve weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming in the
process the last #1 single of the 1990s. e music video, set on a hot barrio street, was also very popular.
Supernatural reached number one on the US album charts and the follow-up single, "Maria Maria", featuring the
R&B duo the Product G&B, also hit number one, spending ten weeks there in the spring of 2000. Supernatural

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eventually shipped over 15 million copies in the United States, and won 8 Grammy Awards including Album of the
Year, making it Santana's most successful album.

Carlos Santana, alongside the classic Santana lineup of their first two albums, was inducted as an individual, into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. He performed "Black Magic Woman" with the writer of the song,
Fleetwood Mac's founder Peter Green. Green was inducted the same night.

In 2000, Supernatural won nine Grammy Awards (eight for Santana personally), including Album of the Year,
Record of the Year for "Smooth", and Song of the Year for omas and Itaal Shur. Santana's acceptance speeches
described his feelings about music's place in one's spiritual existence. Later that year at the Latin Grammy Awards
he won three awards including Record of the Year. In 2001, Santana's guitar skills were featured in Michael
Jackson's song "Whatever Happens", from the album Invincible.

In 2002, Santana released Shaman, revisiting the Supernatural format of

guest artists including Citizen Cope, P.O.D. and Seal. Although the album
was not the runaway success its predecessor had been, it produced two
radio-friendly hits. "e Game of Love" featuring Michelle Branch, rose to
number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent many weeks at the top of
the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and "Why Don't You & I"
wrien by and featuring Chad Kroeger from the group Nickelback (the
original and a remix with Alex Band from the group the Calling were
combined towards chart performance) which reached number eight on
the Billboard Hot 100. "e Game of Love" went on to win the Grammy
Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

In early August 2003, Santana was named fieenth on Rolling Stone

magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

On April 21, 2005, Santana was honored as a BMI Icon at the 12th annual Santana playing in
BMI Latin Awards. Santana was the first songwriter designated a BMI Indianapolis in 2010

Icon at the company's Latin Awards. e honor is given to a creator who

has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."[15]

In 2005, Herbie Hancock approached Santana to collaborate on an album again using the Supernatural formula.
Possibilities was released on August 30, 2005, featuring Carlos Santana and Angélique Kidjo on "Safiatou". Also, in
2005, fellow Latin star Shakira invited Santana to play the so rock guitar ballad "Illegal" on her second English-
language studio album Oral Fixation Vol. 2.

Santana's 2005 album All at I Am consists primarily of collaborations with other artists; the first single, the
peppy "I'm Feeling You", was again with Michelle Branch and the Wreckers. Other musicians joining the mix this
time included Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Kirk Hamme from Metallica, hip-hop artist/songwriter/producer
will.i.am and guitarist/songwriter/producer George Pajon, hip-hop/reggae star Sean Paul and R&B singer Joss
Stone. In April and May 2006, Santana toured Europe, where he promoted his son Salvador Santana's band as his
opening act.

In 2007, Santana appeared, along with Sheila E. and José Feliciano, on Gloria Estefan's album 90 Millas, on the
single "No Llores". He also teamed again with Chad Kroeger for the hit single "Into the Night". He also played

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guitar in Eros Ramazzoi's hit "Fuoco nel fuoco" from the album e².

In 2008, Santana was reported to be working with his longtime friend,

Marcelo Vieira, on his solo album Acoustic Demos, which was released at
the end of the year. It features tracks such as "For Flavia" and "Across the
Grave", the laer said to feature heavy melodic riffs by Santana.

Carlos Santana during a
concert in 2005
Carlos Santana performed at the 2009 American Idol Finale with the top 13
finalists, which starred many acts such as KISS, een and Rod Stewart. On
July 8, 2009, Carlos Santana appeared at the Athens Olympic Stadium in
Athens with his 10-member all-star band as part of his "Supernatural
Santana – A Trip through the Hits" European tour. On July 10, 2009, he also
appeared at Philip II Stadium in Skopje. With a 2.5-hour long concert and
20   000 people, Santana appeared for the first time in that region.
"Supernatural Santana – A Trip through the Hits" was played at the Hard
Rock hotel in Las Vegas, where it was played through 2011.

Santana is featured as a playable character in the music video game Guitar

Hero 5. A live recording of his song "No One to Depend On" is included in game, which was released on September
1, 2009.[16] More recently, in 2011, three Santana songs were offered as downloadable content (DLC) for guitar
learning soware Rocksmith: "Oye Como Va", "Smooth", and "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy een".

Santana, since 2007, has opened a chain of upscale Mexican restaurants called "Maria Maria". It is a combined effort
with Chef Roberto Santibañez. ey are located in Tempe, Arizona; Mill Valley (now closed), Walnut Creek,
Danville and San Diego; Austin, Texas; and Boca Raton, Florida.[17]

In 2012, Santana released an album Shape Shier consisting of mostly instrumental tracks.

On February 23, 2013 there was a public announcement on ultimateclassicrock.com about a reunion of the
surviving members (minus Jose “Chepito” Areas) of the Santana band who recorded Santana III in 1971. e
subsequent album to be titled Santana IV.

On May 6, 2014, his first ever Spanish language album[18] Corazón was released.

On September 12, 2015 Carlos Santana appeared as a member of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh's band Phil Lesh &
Friends at the third annual Lockn' Music Festival.

In 2016 Carlos Santana reunited with past Santana band members Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve,
and Neil Schon to release the album: Santana IV and the band embarked on a brief tour. A full set from this lineup
was filmed at the House of Blues in Las Vegas and was released as a live album and a DVD titled Live at the House
of Blues Las Vegas

In 2017 Santana collaborated with the Isley Brothers to release the album e Power of Peace on July 28, 2017.

Influences
Around the age of eight, Santana "fell under the influence" of blues performers like B.B. King, Javier Bátiz, and John
Lee Hooker. Gábor Szabó's mid-1960s jazz/gypsy guitar work also strongly influenced Santana's playing. Indeed,

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Szabó's composition "Gypsy een" was used as the second part of Santana's 1970 treatment of Peter Green's
composition "Black Magic Woman", almost down to identical guitar licks. Santana's 2012 instrumental album Shape
Shier includes a song called "Mr. Szabo", played in tribute in the style of Gábor Szabó. Santana also credits Jimi
Hendrix, Mike Bloomfield, Hank Marvin and Peter Green as important influences; he considered Bloomfield a
direct mentor, writing of a key meeting with Bloomfield in San Francisco in the foreword he wrote to a biography
of Bloomfield, Michael Bloomfield: If You Love ese Blues – An Oral History in 2000.[19]

Santana moved to San Francisco and, in October 1966, started the Santana Blues Band. By 1968, the band had
begun to incorporate different types of influences into their electric blues. "If I would go to some cat's room,"
remembered the guitarist of the band, "he'd be listening to Sly [Stone] and Jimi Hendrix; another guy to the Stones
and the Beatles. Another guy'd be listening to Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaría. Another guy'd be listening to
Miles [Davis] and [John] Coltrane… . To me it was like being at a university."[20]

Equipment

Guitars and effects

Santana played a red Gibson SG Special with P-90 pickups at the Woodstock festival.
During the time between the release of Abraxas and Santana III (1970–1972), he used
different Gibson Les Pauls and a Black Gibson SG Special. In 1974 he played and endorsed
the Gibson L6-S Custom. is can be heard on the album Borbelea. From 1976 until 1982
his main guitar was a Yamaha SG 175B, and sometimes a white Gibson SG Custom with 3
open coil pick-ups. In 1982 he started to use a custom made PRS Custom 24 guitar. In 1988
PRS Guitars began making Santana signature model guitars, which Santana has played
through its various iterations ever since (see below).

Santana currently uses a Santana II model guitar fied with PRS Santana III nickel covered
Santana's
pickups, a tremolo bar, and .009-.042 gauge D'Addario strings. He also plays a PRS Santana
Yamaha
Multidimensional (MD)[21] e Santana guitars feature necks made of a single piece of SG2000
mahogany topped with Rosewood fretboards (some feature highly sought-aer Brazilian Devadip
Rosewood[22]). is helps create the smooth, singing, glass-like tone for which he is (1976, with
known. inlay) on
exhibit in the
Santana Signature Models: Berlin Musical
Instrument
PRS Santana I "The Yellow"(1988) Museum
PRS Santana II "Supernatural" (1999)
PRS Santana III (2001)
PRS Santana SE (2001)
PRS Santana SE II (2003)
PRS Santana Shaman SE-Limited Edition (2003)
PRS Santana MD "The Multidimensional" (2008)
PRS Santana 25th Anniversary (2009)
PRS Santana Abraxas SE-Limited Edition (2009)
PRS Santana SE "The Multidimensional" (2011)
PRS Santana Retro (2017)

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PRS Santana Yellow SE (2017)

Santana also uses a classical guitar, he used the Alvarez Yairi CY127CE with
Alvarez tension nylon strings,[23] in the last years from 2009 he uses custom
made, semi-hollow Toru Niono's "Model-T" Jazz Electric Nylon.[24]

Santana does not use many effects pedals. His PRS guitar is connected to a Mu-
Tron wah wah pedal (or, more recently, a Dunlop 535Q wah[25] and a T-Rex
Replica delay pedal.[25][26] then through a customized Jim Dunlop amp switcher
which in turn is connected to the different amps or cabinets.

Previous setups include an Ibanez Tube Screamer[27] right aer the guitar. He is
also known to have used an Electro Harmonix Big Muff distortion for his famous
sustain. In the song "Stand Up" from the album Marathon (1979), Santana uses a
Heil talk box in the guitar solo. He has also used the Audiotech Guitar Products The Carlos Santana
1x6 Rack Mount Audio Switcher in rehearsals for the 2008 "Live Your Light" tour. exhibit in the Artist
Gallery of the Musical
Santana uses two different guitar picks: the large triangular Dunlop he has used Instrument Museum
for so many years, and the V-Pick Freakishly Large Round. of Phoenix

Amplifiers
Carlos Santana's distinctive guitar tone is produced by PRS Santana signature guitars plugged into multiple
amplifiers. e amps consist of a Mesa Boogie Mark I, Dumble Overdrive Reverb and more recently a Bludotone
amplifier. Santana compares the tonal qualities of each amplifier to that of a singer producing head/nasal tones,
chest tones, and belly tones. A three-way amp switcher is employed on Carlos's pedal board to enable him to
switch between amps. Oen the unique tones of each amplifier are blended together, complementing each other
producing a richer tone.

He also put the "Boogie" in Mesa Boogie. Santana is credited with coining the popular Mesa amplifier name when
he tried one and exclaimed, "at lile thing really Boogies!"[28]

Specifically, Santana combines a Mesa/Boogie Mark I head running through a Boogie cabinet with Altec 417-8H (or
recently JBL E120s) speakers, and a Dumble Overdrive Reverb and/or a Dumble Overdrive Special running through
a Brown or Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M "Greenback" speakers, depending on the desired sound.
Shure KSM-32 microphones are used to pick up the sound, going to the PA. Additionally, a Fender Cyber-Twin
Amp is mostly used at home.

During his early career Santana used a GMT transistor amplifier stack and a silverface Fender Twin. e GMT
226A rig was used at the Woodstock concert as well as during recording Santana's debut album. During this era
Santana had also begun to use the Fender Twin, which was also used on the debut and proceedingly at the
recording sessions of Abraxas.

Personal life
Santana became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1965.[29]

On October 19, 2007, Deborah Santana filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" aer 34 years of

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marriage.[30]

Santana became engaged to drummer Cindy Blackman, aer proposing to her during a concert of the Universal
Tone Tour at Tinley Park in suburban Chicago, Illinois, on July 9, 2010. e two were married in December
2010.[31][32] ey currently live in Las Vegas.[33]

Santana has 3 children: Salvador, Stella, and Angelica.[34]

Discography
Love Devotion Surrender (1973)
Illuminations (1974)
Oneness – Silver Dreams Golden Reality (1979)
The Swing of Delight (1980)
Havana Moon (1983)
Blues for Salvador (1987)
Santana Brothers (1994)

Memoir
On November 4, 2014, his memoir, e Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light was published.[18][35]
ISBN 978-0-31624-492-3

Awards and nominations

Santana's star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame

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Year Nominee/work Award Result

Best Pop Instrumental Performance – With

1973 "Caravanserai" Nominated
Vocal Coloring

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

1988 "Blues for Salvador" Won
(Orchestra, Group Or Soloist)

1993 "Gypsy/Grajonca" Best Rock Instrumental Performance Nominated

"Every Now And

1996 Best Rock Instrumental Performance Nominated
Then"

Record of the Year Won

"Smooth"
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Won

Album of the Year Won

Supernatural
Best Rock Album Won

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with

"Maria Maria" Won
2000 Vocal

"El Farol" Best Pop Instrumental Performance Won

"The Calling" Best Rock Instrumental Performance Won

Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or

"Put Your Lights On" Won
Group

"Love of My Life" Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Nominated

2002 "The Game of Love" Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Won

On December 29, 2013, Carlos Santana became a Kennedy Center Honoree.[36]

References
1. "RCA's Peter Edge, Tom Corson on the Shuttering of Jive, J and Arista"
(http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/rca-s-peter-edge-tom-corson-on-the-
shuttering-1005394732.story). Billboard. October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
2. "100 Greatest Guitarists: Carlos Santana" (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-
greatest-guitarists-20111123/carlos-santana-20111122). Rolling Stone. Retrieved
2014-06-14.
3. "The 100 Greatest Guitar players of All Time''; ''Rolling Stone''" (https://web.archive.org
/web/20100307235817/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559
/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time). Rolling Stone. September 18, 2003. Archived
from the original (https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559
/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time) on March 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
4. "Santana received 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards"
(https://www.allmusic.com/artist/santana-p13645/charts-awards/grammy-awards).
AllMusic. 1999. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
5. "Santana Says He Was Molested As A Child" (http://www.mtv.com/news/621663/santana-
says-he-was-molested-as-a-child/). mtv.com.

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6. "50 facts from life of Carlos Santana" (http://www.boomsbeat.com/articles/105923

/20151229/50-facts-life-carlos-santana.htm). BOOMSbeat. 2015-12-29. Retrieved
2017-08-11.
7. Carlos Santana: I’m Immortal (http://puntodigital.com/carlos-santana-im-immortal
/224228/) interview by Punto Digital, October 13, 2010
8. "Carlos Santana - the king of World Music" (http://search.proquest.com/docview
/367933042/). La Voz. Denver: La Voz Publishing Company. 24 (34): 11. 26 Aug 1998.
ISSN 0746-0988 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0746-0988). OCLC 9747738
(https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/9747738). "When the family moved to the boom town of
Tijuana in 1955, 8-year-old Carlos picked up the guitar, studying and emulating the
sounds of B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. Soon he was playing with local
bands like "T.J.'s," where he added his own unique touch and feel to the popular songs of
'50s rock 'n' roll. As he continued to play with different bands along the busy "Tijuana
Strip," he started to perfect his style and sound."
9. Shapiro, Marc, "Carlos Santana: Back on Top”, pages 57–58, St. Martin’s Press,
ISBN 0-312-26904-8, 2000.
10. Ruhlmann, William (2003). "Carlos Santana > Biography" (https://www.allmusic.com/artist
/p195903). AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
11. Carlos Santana." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 12 Sep. 2013.
academic.eb.com.ezproxy4.library.arizona.edu/levels/collegiate/article/476059. Accessed
2 Feb. 2017.
12. "Chart Beat Bonus" (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/73601/chart-beat-bonus).
Billboard. November 1, 2002. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
13. "Santana – Abraxas" (http://www.superseventies.com/spsantana2.html).
Superseventies.com. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
14. Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "205 | Abraxas – Santana". Rolling Stone's
500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1-932958-61-4.
OCLC 70672814. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved March 9,
2006.
15. "Artists Announced for Tribute to Carlos Santana at BMI Latin Awards in Las Vegas"
(http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234386). bmi.com. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
16. "Carlos Santana Grooves in Guitar Hero 5, which included the song black magic woman"
(http://www.idiomag.com/peek/92605/carlos_santana). idiomag. July 21, 2009. Retrieved
2009-07-24.
17. Ella Lawrence (January 28, 2010). "Carlos Santana opens Maria Maria in Danville"
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/28/DD601BK06R.DTL). San
Francisco Chronicle.
18. "In Music, Carlos Santana Seeks The Divine" (http://www.npr.org/blogs/altlatino/2014/11
/04/355910895/in-music-carlos-santana-seeks-the-divine). NPR. November 4, 2014.
Retrieved November 14, 2014.
19. "Carlos Santana Influences" (http://www.dougpayne.com/carlos.htm). Dougpayne.com.
April 23, 1977. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
20. Szatmary, David P. (2014). Rockin' in Time. United States: PEARSON. p. 216.
ISBN 978-0-205-93624-3.

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21. "Santana – Musician's Corner – Blue Guitar" (https://web.archive.org

/web/20090506061638/http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars/blue.html).
Santana.com. Archived from the original (http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars
/blue.html) on May 6, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
22. "Santana – Musician's Corner – Red Guitar" (https://web.archive.org
/web/20090401154851/http://www.santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars/red.html).
Santana.com. Archived from the original (http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars
/red.html) on April 1, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
23. "Santana – Musician's Corner – Acoustic Guitar" (https://web.archive.org
/web/20090218122850/http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars/acoustic.html).
Santana.com. Archived from the original (http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars
/acoustic.html) on February 18, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
24. "Toru Nittono Guitars" (http://www.nittonoguitars.com/home.html). Nittonoguitars.com.
Retrieved 2014-06-14.
25. [1] (http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storycode=8531) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20140318031552/http://www.guitarplayer.com
/story.asp?storycode=8531) March 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
26. [2] (http://t-rex-engineering.com/default.asp?show=page&id=2363) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191943/http://t-rex-engineering.com
/default.asp?show=page&id=2363) September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
27. [3] (http://www.santana.com/musicianscorner/layout/index.html) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20150508115908/http://www.santana.com/musicianscorner
/layout/index.html) May 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
28. "The Mesa Boogie Story – a history" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140220030205/http:
//www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/our_story.html). Mesaboogie.com. Archived from the
original (http://www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/our_story.html) on February 20, 2014.
Retrieved 2014-06-14.
29. "Welcome to the Pacific Coast Immigration Museum" (https://web.archive.org
/web/20110318103245/http://learn.pacificcoastimmigration.org/notable/profiles
/csantana.html). learn.pacificcoastimmigration.org. Archived from the original
(http://learn.pacificcoastimmigration.org/notable/profiles/csantana.html) on March 18,
2011. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
30. Dean Goodman (July 12, 2010). "Carlos Santana proposes onstage to girlfriend"
(https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66B6QG20100712). Reuters. Retrieved
November 8, 2010.
31. "Carlos Santana Is Engaged!" (http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/carlos-
santana-is-engaged-2010127). Us Weekly. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
32. "Carlos Santana Proposes to Drummer Girlfriend Onstage" (http://www.billboard.com
/articles/news/957423/carlos-santana-proposes-to-drummer-girlfriend-onstage). Billboard.
Retrieved 2014-06-14.
33. "Realtor – Real Estate News and Advice Community" (http://www.realtor.com/blogs
/2013/06/19/carlos-santana-drops-big-money-on-rock-star-pad-in-vegas/). Realtor.com.
Retrieved 2014-06-14.
34. "Carlos Santana" (http://www.biography.com/people/carlos-santana-9542276#personal-
life). Biography.com.

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Carlos Santana - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Santana

35. "Carlos Santana: 'I Am A Reflection Of Your Light' " (http://www.npr.org/2014/11

/04/360092359/carlos-santana-i-am-a-reflection-of-your-light). NPR. November 4, 2014.
Retrieved November 14, 2014.
36. "List of Kennedy Center Honorees" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081209052332/http:
//www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history.cfm). Kennedy-
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/specialevents/honors/history.cfm) on December 9, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2014.

Sources
Soul Sacrifice; The Carlos Santana Story, Simon Leng, 2000
Space Between The Stars, Deborah Santana, 2004
Rolling Stone, "The Resurrection of Carlos Santana", Ben Fong Torres, 1972
New Musical Express, "Spirit of Santana". Chris Charlesworth, November 1973
Guitar Player Magazine, 1978
Rolling Stone, "The Epic Life of Carlos Santana", 2000
Santana I – Sony Legacy Edition: liner notes
Abraxas – Sony Legacy Edition: liner notes
Santana III – Sony Legacy edition: liner notes
Viva Santana – CBS CD release 1988; liner notes
Power, Passion and Beauty – The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra Walter
Kolosky 2006
Best of Carlos Santana – Wolf Marshall 1996; introduction and interview

Further reading
Chipley Slavicek, Louise. Carlos Santana, Chelsea House Publications or Facts on File,
2006, 119 p., ISBN 0-7910-8844-8
Leng, Simon. Soul Sacrifice: The Santana Story, Firefly-S.A.F. Publishing, 2000, 224 p.,
ISBN 0-946719-29-2. Republ. as Santana, Catedra, 2002, ISBN 84-376-1947-5
McCarthy, Jim; Ron Sansoe, Ron, foreword by Carlos Santana. Voices of Latin Rock: The
People and Events That Created This Sound, Omnibus Press, 2004 and Hal Leonard
Publishing, 2005, 316 p., ISBN 0-634-08061-X
Miller, Hal; Santana Debbie; Faulkner, John (ed.), w/ a foreword by Bill Graham. Santana:
A Retrospective of the Santana Band's Twenty Years in Music, San Francisco Mission
Cultural Center, 1987 or 1988, 50p., no ISBN. Includes a 4-p genealogical tree w/ the
members's name for every Santana band from 1966.
Molenda, Michael (ed.). Guitar Player Presents Carlos Santana, Backbeat Books, 2010,
124 p., ISBN 978-0-87930-976-3
Remstein, Henna. Carlos Santana (Latinos in the Limelight), Chelsea House Publications,
2001, 64 p., ISBN 0-7910-6473-5
Shapiro, Marc. Carlos Santana: Back on Top, St-Martin's Press, 2000 and 2002, 288 p.,
ISBN 0-312-28852-2
Sumsion, Michael. Maximum Santana: The Unauthorized Biography of Santana, Chrome
Dreams, 2003, ISBN 1-84240-107-6. A CD-audio biog
Weinstein, Norman. Carlos Santana: A Biography, Greenwood Press, 2009, 152 p.,
ISBN 978-0-313-35420-5
Woog, Adam. Carlos Santana: Legendary Guitarist, Lucent Books, 2006, 104 p.,
ISBN 1-59018-972-8

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External links
Official website (http://www.santana.com/)
Milagro Foundation (http://www.milagrofoundation.org/)
Information about Carlos Santana (http://www.ultimatesantana.com/)
Concerts online at Wolfgang's Vault (http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/pf/santana
/6254.html)
Music Carlos Santana (http://www.musicaretro.net/c/carlos-santana)

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