Musicians: Carlos Santana

TOP: Carlos Santana performing in Hamburg in November 1973. Photo by Heinrich Klaffs. MIDDLE: Santana during his

"inner secrets" tour in the Netherlands in 1978. Photo by Chris Hakkens. BOTTOM: Santana playing in Indianapolis in 2010.

Photo by Larry Philpot.

Synopsis: Born in 1947, in Autlán de Navarro, Mexico, Carlos Santana moved to San

Francisco in the early 1960s, where he formed the Santana Blues Band in 1966. The band,

later simply known as Santana, signed a contract with Columbia Records, with Carlos

becoming the consistent front man. Throughout the 1970s and early '80s, Santana released a

string of successful albums such as "Abraxas," "Lotus" and "Amigos," making a big comeback

in 1999 with the Grammy Award-winning "Supernatural." In 2009, he received a Billboard

Lifetime Achievement Award and several years later became a Kennedy Center Honors

recipient. More recent albums have included "Corazón" and "Santana IV."

Background And Early Life

Musician Carlos Santana was born on July 20, 1947, in Autlán de Navarro, Mexico. His father,

Jose, was an accomplished professional violinist, and as a child Carlos learned to play the

instrument from his father, though he ultimately didn't enjoy the tones he created. He would

eventually take up the electric guitar, for which he developed an ardent passion.

By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks on 08.23.16

Word Count 1,367

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In 1955, the family moved from Autlán de Navarro to Tijuana, the border city between Mexico

and California. As a teenager, Santana began performing in Tijuana strip clubs, inspired by

the American rock 'n' roll and blues music of artists like B.B. King, Ray Charles and Little

Richard. In the early 1960s, Santana moved again with his family, this time to San Francisco,

where his father had already relocated to find work. Carlos became a naturalized American

citizen in 1965.

In San Francisco, the young guitarist got the chance to see his idols, most notably B.B. King,

perform live. He was also introduced to a variety of new musical influences, including jazz and

international folk music, and witnessed the growing hippie movement centered in San

Francisco in the 1960s. After several years spent working as a dishwasher in a diner and

playing for spare change on the streets, Santana decided to become a full-time musician. In

1966, he formed the Santana Blues Band, with fellow street musicians David Brown and

Gregg Rolie (bassist and keyboard player, respectively).

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Big Hits: "Oye Como Va" And "Black Magic Woman"

With their highly original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa and African rhythms,

the band — which quickly became known simply as Santana — gained an immediate

following on the San Francisco club scene. The band's early success, capped off by a

memorable performance at Woodstock in 1969, led to a recording contract with Columbia

Records, then run by Clive Davis.

Their first album, "Santana" (1969), spurred by a Top 10 single, "Evil Ways," went triple

platinum, selling more than 4 million copies and remaining on the Billboard charts for more

than two years. "Abraxas," released in 1970, went platinum, scoring two more Top 20 hit

singles, "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman." The band's next two albums, "Santana III"

(1971) and "Caravanserai" (1972), were also critical and popular successes.

As the band's personnel changed frequently, Santana (the band) came to be associated

almost exclusively with Santana himself — who soon became the only remaining member of

the original trio — and his psychedelic guitar riffs. In addition to his work with his band,

Santana recorded and performed with a number of other high-profile musicians, notably

drummer Buddy Miles, pianist Herbie Hancock and guitarist John McLaughlin.

Along with McLaughlin, Santana became a devoted follower of the spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy

during the early 1970s. Disillusioned with the heady, drug-addled world of 1970s rock music,

Santana turned to Chinmoy's teachings of meditation and to a new kind of spiritually oriented

music, marked by a popular jazz album he recorded with McLaughlin titled "Love Devotion

Surrender" and released in early 1973.

Grammy Win And Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Santana and his band released a string of successful

albums in their unique style. Notable projects of this time period included "Amigos" (1976) and

"Zebop!" (1981). During the 1980s, he continued to tour and record both solo and with the

band, but his popularity began to decrease with commercial audiences' dwindling interest in

jazz/rock blends.

Nevertheless, Santana earned critical acclaim throughout the decade, particularly for the 1987

solo album "Blues for Salvador," which earned the guitarist his first Grammy Award for Best

Rock Instrumental Performance. He toured extensively, playing in sold-out auditoriums and on

tours like Live Aid (1985) and Amnesty International (1986).

Santana left Columbia in 1991 and signed with Polydor, releasing "Milagro" (1992) and

"Sacred Fire: Live in South America" (1993). Though he ended his association with Chinmoy

in 1982, Santana remained intensely spiritual, especially during his live performances. In

1994, he played at the commemorative concert at Woodstock, 25 years after his band's

transformative performance at the original festival. Under his own label, Guts and Grace, he

released a collaborative album, "Brothers" (1994), with his brother Jorge Santana and nephew

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Carlos Hernandez, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. Later in

the decade, Santana was among the 1998 group of artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall

of Fame.

Blockbuster Comeback

Santana's phenomenal comeback on the pop charts began in 1997, when he re-signed the

band with his first producer and mentor, Davis, then the president of Arista Records. Davis

enlisted a roster of prominent musicians — among them Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, CeeLo

Green, Dave Matthews and Wyclef Jean — to perform on the legendary guitarist's 35th album,

"Supernatural," released in 1999. By early 2000, the album had sold 10 million copies

worldwide and spawned a No. 1 hit single, "Smooth," featuring catchy pop lyrics sung by Rob

Thomas and Santana's electrically charged guitar licks.

Nominated in nine categories at the Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year

("Supernatural"), Record of the Year and Song of the Year (both for "Smooth"), Santana won

in every category. With his eight awards (because the award for Song of the Year went to

Thomas and Itaal Shur, who wrote "Smooth"), Santana tied Michael Jackson's 1984 record for

most Grammy Awards won in a single year.

Santana followed up his award-winning album with "Shaman" (2002), which received

additional accolades. He and Michelle Branch won the Grammy Award for Best Pop

Collaboration With Vocals for the Top 5 song "The Game of Love." Another interesting array of

collaborators appeared on Santana's next album "All That I Am" (2005), including Mary J.

Blige, Los Lonely Boys and Steven Tyler.

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Lifetime Achievement Award And Recent Albums

In 2009, Santana received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Billboard Latin Music

Awards. He also debuted his own music revue, "Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the

Hits," at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas that same year. Santana continued to

take his music on the road, playing numerous tour dates each year. In 2013, he became a

recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors.

In the second decade of the new millennium, Santana continued to put forth new music as

well. On his own Starfaith label, he released 2012's mostly instrumental "Shape Shifter," with

"Corazón" following two years later under RCA. The latter album once again saw Santana

working with Davis and featured an array of Latino artists such as Juanes, ChocQuibTown,

Romeo Santos and Gloria Estefan. Spring 2016 saw the release of "Santana IV," an outing

that featured a return to the guitarist's textured, more psychedelic sound with bandmates from

the "Santana III" album.

Personal Life

Carlos Santana lived in Marin County, California, with his wife, Deborah, whom he married in

1973, and their three children, Salvador, Stella and Angelica. On October 19, 2007, he and

his wife filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Carlos Santana became engaged to drummer Cindy Blackman, a member of his band who

had previously worked with Lenny Kravitz, in July 2010. The two were married in December of

that year.

In 2014, Santana published his memoir "The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light."

"I'm not Latino, or Spanish; what I am is a child of light," the musician said in an NPR

interview. "I want this book for people to understand that you don't have to be the Dalai Lama,

or the pope, or Mother Teresa or Jesus Christ to create blessings and miracles."

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Quiz

1 Which sentence BEST shows that Carlos Santana is regarded as an accomplished musician?

(A) In 1966, he formed the Santana Blues Band, with fellow street musicians David

Brown and Gregg Rolie (bassist and keyboard player, respectively).

(B) Their first album, "Santana" (1969), spurred by a Top 10 single, "Evil Ways,"

went triple platinum, selling more than 4 million copies and remaining on the

Billboard charts for more than two years.

(C) He toured extensively, playing in sold-out auditoriums and on tours like Live Aid

(1985) and Amnesty International (1986).

(D) Nominated in nine categories at the Grammy Awards, including Album of the

Year ("Supernatural"), Record of the Year and Song of the Year (both for

"Smooth"), Santana won in every category.

2 Which of the following aspects of the article is NOT fully discussed?

(A) awards Carlos Santana has received for his music

(B) Carlos Santana's relationship with his family

(C) Carlos Santana's famous musical collaborations

(D) early influences on Carlos Santana's musical style

3 Which of the following sentences from the article help develop CENTRAL ideas of the article?

1. He would eventually take up the electric guitar, for which hedeveloped an ardent passion.

2. Along with McLaughlin, Santana became a devoted follower ofthe spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy during the early 1970s.

3. In 1994, he played at the commemorative concert at Woodstock,25 years after his band's transformative performance at theoriginal festival.

4. Nominated in nine categories at the Grammy Awards, includingAlbum of the Year ("Supernatural"), Record of the Year and Songof the Year (both for "Smooth"), Santana won in every category.

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 1 and 4

(C) 2 and 3

(D) 3 and 4

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4 What are the two CENTRAL ideas of this article?

(A) Carlos Santana moved to the U.S. from Mexico at a young age; his early love

for music was fostered by his father.

(B) Carlos Santana formed his first band in 1966 with fellow street musicians; the

band later became associated almost exclusively with Santana.

(C) Carlos Santana is a highly esteemed guitarist and performer; his music won a

record-breaking number of awards and was incredibly popular.

(D) Carlos Santana won the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009; that

same year he also debuted a musical revue in Las Vegas.

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