Carlos Santana

In 1965, he became a naturalized American citizen.

He married Deborah King in 1973 and they have three children. He founded the non-profit organization, ‘Milagro’ with his wife. The two divorced after 34 years of marriage, in 2007.

He married Cindy Blackman in 2010 and currently lives with her in Las Vegas.

Carlos Augusto Alves Santana was born in Autlan de Navarro, in Mexico. He and his younger brother, Jorge Santana, were heavily influenced by music from a very young age.

At the age of five, he learnt how to play the violin, followed by the guitar. He was greatly inspired by the works of musicians including Ritchie Valens.

He studied at James Lick Middle School and Mission High School. He was also accepted in California State University, Humboldt State University and Northridge, but he turned down their offers.

In the 60s, he was greatly influenced by the music of B.B King and was introduced to a variety of music styles. He also witnessed the proliferation of the hippie movement that was a central movement in San Francisco at the time.

He started off as a musician with a number of accidental breaks. There was an incident in 1966, when he was assembled in an impromptu band replacing Paul Butterfield’s band. During these accidental sessions, his guitar playing abilities were noticed by a wide audience and also his peers.

The ‘Santana Blues Band’ was formed in 1966 with other musicians, including Gregg Rolie and David Brown. After their original blend of Latin-infused rock, African rhythms and jazz, they gained an immediate fan following in San Francisco after a foot-tapping performance at Woodstock in 1969. The band immediately changed their name to ‘Santana’.

This immediate success led him to sign a contract with CBS Records. Santana then went onto record their debut album. A self-titled album, it was released in 1969, the release for which was already given a head start with their unforgettable performance at the Woodstock Festival. This album and their performance at the festival, catapulted them to international acclaim.

The band released ‘Abraxas’, their second album, the following year. This was followed with ‘Santana III’, the band’s second self-titled album in September, 1971. The album was also sometimes referred to as ‘Man with an Outstretched Hand’.

Tensions within the band propelled due to which he started to resent a number of members in his band. He then decided to get together with a few of his old band-mates and recorded ‘Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles Live, which released in 1972. The same year the band ‘Santana’ released their fourth album, ‘Caravanserai’.

His 1969 album, ‘Santana’, which was also his debut studio album, was destined to have one of the biggest releases for a newcomer, due to the band’s pivotal performance at The Woodstock Festival. The songs, mainly instrumental, went on to have a huge impact on fans and charted at the number 4 position of the U.S. Top 10 and the Billboard 200. Rolling Stone magazine also listed the album as one of the ‘500 Greatest Albums of all Time’.

‘Santana III’, released in 1971, experimented more with jazz influences and the album featured two hit singles; ‘No one to Depend on’ and ‘Everybody’s Everything’. It charted the no. 1 position on the Billboard 200.

‘Supernatural’, the 17th album released by ‘Santana’ in 1999, went on to win 9 Grammy Awards including ‘Album of the Year’. It also went on to win three important Latin Grammy Awards. The album hit the no.1 spot in 10 countries around the world and stayed on the Billboard 200 countdown for over 18 weeks. The album has been certified Platinum countless times and has also been given the certification of Diamond.