I have made every attempt to write about Carlos Santana himself, but total separation from the Santana band involvement is nearly impossible. This cannot, therefore, represent a complete biography but leans towards the solo aspects of his career.
Carlos Santana has been hailed as the musician responsible for bridging the gap between Latin music and rock and roll. The result? A powerful Latin-flavoured rock sound that includes most of the elements of 12-bar blues, aggressive rock riffs and steamy Afro-Cuban rhythms. His guitar-sound is unmistakable and characterised by the sustained notes in his solos.
His formative years may help to explain the melange of musical styles that Carlos seamlessly merged. Carlos Santana's was born on July 20, 1947, in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico and at the age of five was introduced to music by his father. An accomplished mariachi violinist and experienced musician, he taught Carlos the basics of music theory and gave him an understanding of the value of a note.Latin music and its percussive rhythms thus formed the backbone of all that he would play later on in life.
Carlos moved to Tijuana in 1955 and started studying the guitar, seeking inspiration from the sounds of blues artists like the great B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. He moved to San Francisco in the early sixties, where he was introduced to its diverse cultural influences and musical styles. Rock and Roll was all the rage then, and added this flavour to Carlos' portfolio of influences. In 1966, he formed the Santana Blues Band with keyboard player and singer Gregg Rolie. Although Carlos was not musically the group leader, his name had to be used in the band’s name due to a musicians union requirement that a single person be named a band's leader. The name was shortened simply to Santana in time for their debut at his Fillmore West theater on June 16, 1968. Carlos’ biography from then on ties in rather strongly with the bands’ history, starting with their historic appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
Noteworthy Carlos Santana facts.
Discography
Discography includes Santana Albums.
- Santana - 1969 Debut Columbia album featuring the single Evil Ways
- Abraxas - 1970 4-times-platinum album featuring the timeless Black Magic Woman
- Santana III - 1971 featuring Everything's coming our way
- Caravanserai - 1972, Santana album.
- Welcome - 1973, Santana album.
- Live with Buddy Miles - a 1972 solo album.
- Love Devotion Surrender - 1973 spiritual experiment with the legendary John McLaughlin. The version of John Coltrane's A love Supreme makes it well worth hunting for this rarity.
- Borboletto - 1974, a Santana album.
- Lotus - 1974, a Santana album.
- Illuminations - 1974, along the same spiritual line as the latter, an interesting album with Alice Coltrane, the wife of the late John Coltrane, playing string instruments including the harp. Also features Jack deJohnette on drums and percussion.
- Amigos - 1976, a Santana album.
- Festival - 1977, a Santana album.
- Moonflower - 1977, a Santana album.
- Inner Secrets - 1978, a Santana album.
- Oneness - 1979 Carlos Santana solo album
- Marathon - 1979, a Santana album.
- The Swing of Delight - 1980 solo album
- Havana Moon - 1983 solo album
- Blues for Salvador – 1987 A solo album for charity.
- Spirits Dancing In The Flesh - 1990 Santana album.
- Milagro - 1992, Santana album.
- Sacred Fire - 1993, a Santana album.
- Brothers - 1994, Carlos Santana album featuring his brother Jorge and his nephew Carlos Hernandez.
- Live at the Fillmore - Released in 1997, this double-CD contains the complete ercordings from the band's 1968 performance at the Fillmore West
- Supernatural - 1999, 10 million copy, Diamond Status album landing Santana with 9 Grammy Awards at the 2000 Grammy awards Festival.
Several compilations exist, amongst which the more noteworthy include the 1974
Columbia Greatest hits double-disc and the 1995
Legacy box-set entitled
Dance Of The Rainbow Serpent. The most recent compilation is the 1998 single-disc
Best of Santana.