Carlos Santana is one of those rare musicians who comes along and completely changes the landscape of musical culture. His formative guitar riffs and signature tone have made him one of the most recognizable and influential musicians of all time, and he is revered worldwide as an inspiration by some of music's most amazing talents. With an estimated 40 albums to his credit, which have sold a collective 90 million albums worldwide, as well as 10 Grammy Awards, 2 Latin Grammy Awards, a Latin Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award, and an induction into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, Carlos Santana is a musical virtuoso who's music has defied genre, time, and culture. Simply put, his music speaks to everybody, from fans to critics alike, and it can be said that Carlos' guitar playing is among the most soulful guitar playing ever captured on record or played live. His live performance of "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock music festival instantly catapulted him to guitar legend status, and over the years he has played alongside such musical icons as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius, Jack DeJohnette, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Willie Nelson, Patrice Rushen, Alice Coltrane, and Michael Jackson, just to name a few. Carlos was placed at number 15 in Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 100 Guitarists of All-Time list, and he has influenced everyone from Prince to Metallica's Kirk Hammet with his amazing guitar work. It is often said that you don't hear Carlos' guitar, you feel it, prompting Hip Hop producer Wyclef Jean to remark that Carlos "makes his guitar cry." In a career that spans nearly 50 years, Santana has broken down musical and cultural barriers with his music, and become one of the most intriguing, and spiritually inspiring musicians of all- time.
Carlos Santana was born in Autlán De Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico on July 20, 1947. Raised in a working class family, Carlos' father played the violin in a Mariachi band, and became his earliest musical inspiration. Carlos was in awe of his father's playing, and learned to play the violin by age five, and the guitar by age eight, a skill set that was furthered when he heard the music of Ritchie Valens. He later repaid his musical debt to Valens by playing on and writing the musical score for the hit movie, "La Bamba," which became a blockbuster hit that paid homage to the Latino guitarist's life and times. Santana's family moved to Tijuana, and eventually moved to San Francisco, where Carlos went to high school, and became immersed in the counter-culture and music scene that emerged in that area during the '60s. The scene was kind to the young musician, as he split time working as a dishwasher by day, and jamming with his newly formed "Santana Blues Band" in the bustling San Francisco club scene by night. The Santana Blues Band was well-received by the local scene, and it propelled them to earn a spot at the coveted Woodstock Music Festival, where their searing performance of "Soul Sacrifice" caught the attention of legendary label guru Clive Davis, who signed the band to Columbia that year.
By Mike Landers
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