Santana, Carlos (1947-…), is a popular Mexican -born American rock guitarist and composer. He became famous as the leader of the rock band Santana. He founded the band in 1966, and with several personnel changes, it continues to perform today. The band’s music blends rock, blues, jazz, Latin music, and African rhythms. Carlos Santana has won a number of Grammy Awards individually and as a member of the band.
Carlos Augusto Santana Alves was born on July 20, 1947, in Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico. He learned to play violin and guitar as a child. His family moved to Tijuana, Mexico, and later to San Francisco. Santana performed as a street musician before forming the Santana Blues Band in 1966. The band soon shortened its name to Santana and gained popularity performing in San Francisco clubs. Santana became famous when it performed at the Woodstock outdoor rock music concert in 1969. Later that year, the band had a Top 10 hit with the song “Evil Ways.”
The band’s other hits include “Black Magic Woman” (1970), “Oye Como Va” (1970), “Samba Pa Ti” (1970), “Smooth” (featuring Rob Thomas, 1999), “Maria Maria” (2000), and “Into the Night” (2007). Carlos Santana has performed on recordings by many other performers, including the American blues singer John Lee Hooker, the Mexican band Maná, the Nigerian-born percussionist Babatunde Olatunji, and the American jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Santana has also composed music for a number of motion-picture sound tracks, including La Bamba (1987). In 1998, he became the first Hispanic American to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Santana. He became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2013.
