Carlos Santana

The name shared by Carlos Santana and his trailblazing Latin rock ensemble frequently causes the two to be mistaken for one another, owing to the guitarist’s position as the outfit’s principal guiding force and public representative. Even so, he moved beyond the limits of the group that bore his surname, exploring bold partnerships with jazz players; the initial album released apart from the band, Love Devotion Surrender from 1973, paired him with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, while the next appeared with Alice Coltrane, and he also turned toward more polished styles heard on Havana Moon in 1983 and the Grammy-winning Blues for Salvador in 1987. Through all such individual outings and his band work alike, his singular lead guitar playing stayed unchanged, defined by its warm, saturated tone and fluid, lyrical phrasing.

Born in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico, on July 20, 1947, Carlos Santana took up violin at age five and guitar three years afterward. His family relocated first to Tijuana and then to San Francisco in the early 1960s; he followed them to California shortly after their northward move. As a teenager he performed in rock & roll cover groups, shifting toward blues by the middle of the decade.

In 1966 he formed the Santana Blues Band alongside guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Gregg Rolie. Early membership fluctuated until the roster stabilized in 1967 around Carlos, Rolie, bassist David Brown, drummer Bob “Doc” Livingston, and percussionist Marcus Malone, at which point the group dropped “Blues Band” from its title. Promoter Bill Graham discovered them and scheduled Santana at his Fillmore West on June 16, 1968. The band soon signed with Columbia Records, which brought in producer David Rubinson to record performances at the Fillmore West that December; those recordings remained unreleased until Columbia/Legacy issued them in 1997 as Live at the Fillmore 1968.

Before cutting their debut album in early 1969, Santana replaced Livingston and Malone with Michael Shrieve and Mike Carabello while also adding percussionist Jose Chepito Areas. This lineup recorded the self-titled first album and then toured, achieving a breakthrough appearance at the Woodstock festival in August 1969. Santana reached stores the same month and quickly succeeded, climbing to number four on Billboard’s album charts during a two-year chart run. Its visibility rose further through the guitarist’s standout role in the 1970 Woodstock documentary and the single “Evil Ways,” which reached number nine on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1970. Abraxas appeared in September of that year and surpassed its predecessor, hitting number one, remaining on the charts for a year and a half, and yielding major hits with “Black Magic Woman” at number four on Billboard and “Oye Como Va” at number 13.

The Santana roster grew for 1971’s Santana (widely known as Santana III) when guitarist Neil Schon joined and percussionist Coke Escovedo took over for an ailing Jose Chepito Areas. Santana III became the band’s third straight success, reaching number one and producing the substantial hit “Everybody’s Everything,” which climbed to number 12 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Santana III closed the era of the classic lineup. After the supporting tour ended, the group disbanded, though Carlos kept the band name. He soon assembled a new version featuring Rolie, Schon, and Areas; this configuration debuted on Caravanserai, the 1972 album on which the guitarist advanced further into jazz. Although the release peaked at number eight on Billboard and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance with Vocal Coloring, it reduced the band’s commercial momentum, yet this did not curb his desire for musical exploration. He soon began splitting time between the band and solo projects. The first result was Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles: Live!, an album drawn from their joint tour spanning December 1971 to April 1972. He next collaborated with guitarist John McLaughlin and his fusion band the Mahavishnu Orchestra on Love Devotion Surrender in 1973. Carlos’ growing interest in spirituality shaped the album; McLaughlin introduced him to guru Sri Chinmoy, after which he became a disciple and adopted the name Devadip, meaning “the lamp, light and eye of God.” In the same spirit, he joined Alice Coltrane in 1974 for Illuminations, a jazz-fusion duet album. That year the Santana band issued the triple-live album Lotus, recorded in Japan; its standing grew over time, leading Columbia/Legacy to reissue it in a “complete edition” in 2017.

While broadening his musical and spiritual scope, Carlos kept the band active; from this point membership remained fluid, with players regularly entering and leaving. A new lineup released Welcome in 1973, yet its number-25 Billboard peak showed that Caravanserai had already distanced some fans. Borboletta, issued a year later, fared slightly better at number 20, but the risk of losing listeners prompted Carlos to steer 1976’s Amigos toward a commercial approach. Reuniting with original producer David Rubinson, Santana adopted a sleek and straightforward sound on Amigos, and the strategy succeeded: the album reached number 10 on the Billboard charts. Rubinson and Santana quickly followed with Festival, which performed solidly after its January 1977 release. By year’s end the band delivered Moonflower, mixing studio tracks with live cuts; it peaked at number 10, aided by a cover of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There,” which reached number 27—their strongest Hot 100 result since 1971.

Another oldies cover, “Stormy” by the Classics IV, appeared on 1978’s Inner Secrets, an album that barely entered the Top 30.

Carlos issued his first official solo album, Oneness: Silver Dreams Golden Reality, in March 1979; the jazz-influenced set appeared under the name Devadip. Later that year the Santana band returned with Marathon, a more commercial effort produced by Keith Olsen that included the single “You Know That I Love You.” Shortly afterward Carlos released the solo album The Swing of Delight, a Rubinson collaboration credited to Devadip Carlos Santana.

The band rebounded in 1981 with Zebop!, which peaked at number nine on the strength of the hit single “Winning.” “Hold On,” the lead single from 1982’s Shango, climbed to number 15 on the Hot 100, lifting the parent album to number 22. A solo album credited simply to “Carlos Santana,” titled Havana Moon, arrived in 1983 and peaked at number 31.

After this extended period of high productivity, Santana reduced studio releases during the 1980s. The band did not return until February 1985 with Beyond Appearances; its single “Say It Again” reached number 45, five positions above the album’s number-50 peak. Santana marked their twentieth anniversary with a 1986 concert, yet 1987’s Freedom made little chart impact, peaking at number 95. Carlos released the solo album Blues for Salvador in 1987, earning his first Grammy for the title track in the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category. A lavish box-set retrospective, Viva Santana!, appeared in 1988 and later received Gold certification; the band returned in 1990 with Spirits Dancing in the Flesh, their final album for longtime label Columbia Records.

Santana signed with Polydor for 1992’s Milagro, but the album drew limited notice, peaking at number 199. The following year the group issued Sacred Fire: Live in South America, which reached number 181 on Billboard’s Top 200. In 1994 Carlos collaborated with brother Jorge and nephew Carlos Hernandez on the Santana Brothers album, which scraped the Top 200 at number 191. While Carlos worked with his brother, Rolie, Areas, and Carabello formed the separate group Abraxas Pool and released the Abraxas Pool album in 1994.

For the remainder of the 1990s Santana moved steadily toward the oldies circuit, yet their prospects shifted when longtime supporter Clive Davis signed them to Arista in 1998. Davis crafted a star-studded comeback in the form of Supernatural, the 1999 album that surpassed all expectations. Featuring the single “Smooth” with Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas, who also co-wrote the song, Supernatural became an international blockbuster, topping charts worldwide, earning Diamond certification in the U.S., and winning eight Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year. The album yielded another number-one single, “Maria Maria,” with Wyclef Jean and the G&B Product, though “Smooth” kept Supernatural at number one for twelve weeks. Santana delivered the Supernatural sequel Shaman in 2002. Thanks to the hit single “The Game of Love”—co-written by Gregg Alexander of the New Radicals and sung by Michelle Branch, which reached number five and won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals—the album became another cross-demographic success, hitting number one on Billboard and securing double-platinum RIAA certification.

All That I Am arrived in 2005, debuting at number two on Billboard yet effectively ending Santana’s run as hitmakers; its lead single, “I’m Feeling You,” again featuring Michelle Branch, peaked at number 55. Although no further hit singles appeared, Santana remained a steady presence in pop and rock culture. In 2010 they released Guitar Heaven, a set of classic-rock covers with guest vocalists; it debuted at number five on Billboard and proved to be their final album for Arista.

Shape Shifter, the band’s 2012 album and their first without guests since Milagro, appeared on their Sony-distributed imprint Starfaith and peaked at number 16. Santana returned to duet projects with 2014’s Corazon, an album centered on Latin music that included appearances by Pitbull, Gloria Estefan, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and Juanes.

Carlos reassembled most of the Santana III lineup—Rolie, Schon, Shrieve, and Carabello—for Santana IV, released in April 2016. The following year the band issued Power of Peace, a collaborative album with the Isley Brothers and their final release for Sony.

Santana signed with Concord in 2018. The first project under the new deal was the Narada Michael Walden-produced EP In Search of the Mona Lisa, which appeared in January 2019.