Santana, Carlos

Santana, Carlos, born in 1947, Mexican-born guitarist and songwriter, praised for his unique fusion of Latin American music, blues, rock, and jazz.

Carlos Santana was born in Autlán de Navarro, Mexico, and began playing guitar at a young age. In 1961 his family settled in San Francisco, California. Five years later the guitarist was a founding member of the Santana Blues Band, a name later shortened to Santana. The group’s celebrated appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 primed the public for their successful debut album, Santana (1969). This recording and subsequent releases Abraxas (1970) and Santana III (1971) were critically acclaimed and yielded a number of hit songs, such as “Evil Ways,” “Oye Como Va,” and “Black Magic Woman.”

During the 1970s Carlos Santana began to explore different styles of music—including jazz—and musical partnerships, as well as solo work. At the same time the group continued to release albums, including Welcome (1973), Amigos (1976), and Inner Secrets (1978). By the late 1970s Carlos Santana was the only original member of the Santana band and had become famous for his signature guitar style and passionate solos.

In the 1980s Santana collaborated with a variety of artists on the album Havana Moon (1983) and won a Grammy Award for the title song from Blues for Salvador (1987). He also recorded the score for the film La Bamba (1987) and played guitar on the title song for the John Lee Hooker hit album The Healer (1989).

By 1998, when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Santana’s career seemed to be winding down. But he made a dramatic comeback with the album Supernatural (1999), which featured duets with top stars such as Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, and Lauryn Hill. A single from this album, “Smooth” (with vocals by Rob Thomas), held the top spot on the pop charts for 12 consecutive weeks. The album won nine Grammy Awards and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. Santana released a follow-up album, Shaman, in 2002.