Carlos Santana

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Mexican and American musicianTemplate:SHORTDESC:Mexican and American musician[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

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* blues rock
 Occupation(s) | * Musician
* songwriter
 Instruments | * Guitar
* Arista
* Polydor
* Columbia
* CGD
 Associated acts | * Santana
* Los Lonely Boys
* John McLaughlin
* Maná

**Carlos Santana** Template:Audio (born July 20, 1947) is a Mexican and American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured his melodic, blues-based lines set against Latin and African rhythms played on percussion instruments such as timbales and congas not generally heard in rock. Santana continued to work in these forms over the decades that followed. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2015, *Rolling Stone* magazine listed Santana at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, and was inducted along with Santana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

## Biography

### Early life

Santana was born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico. He learned to play the violin at age five and the guitar at age eight under the tutelage of his father, a mariachi musician. His younger brother, Jorge Santana, also became a professional guitarist. Young Carlos was heavily influenced by Ritchie Valens at a time when there were very few Mexicans in American rock and pop music. The family moved from Autlán de Navarro to Tijuana, the city on Mexico's border with California, and then San Francisco. In October 1966, in San Francisco, Santana started the Santana Blues Band. By 1968, the band had begun to incorporate different types of influences into their electric blues. "If I would go to some cat's room," remembered the guitarist of the band, "he'd be listening to Sly [Stone] and Jimi Hendrix; another guy to the Stones and the Beatles. Another guy'd be listening to Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaría. Another guy'd be listening to Miles [Davis] and [John] Coltrane... . To me it was like being at a university."

Around the age of eight, Santana "fell under the influence" of blues performers like B.B. King, Javier Bátiz, Mike Bloomfield, and John Lee Hooker. Gábor Szabó's mid-1960s jazz/gypsy guitar work also strongly influenced Santana's playing. Indeed, Szabó's composition "Gypsy Queen" was used as the second part of Santana's 1970 treatment of Peter Green's composition "Black Magic Woman", almost down to identical guitar licks. Santana's 2012 instrumental album *Shape Shifter* includes a song called "Mr. Szabo", played in tribute in the style of Gábor Szabó. Santana also credits Jimi Hendrix, Mike Bloomfield, Hank Marvin and Peter Green as important influences; he considered Bloomfield a direct mentor, writing of a key meeting with Bloomfield in San Francisco in the foreword he wrote to a biography of Bloomfield, *Michael Bloomfield: If You Love These Blues – An Oral History* in 2000. Between the age of 10–12 he was sexually molested by an American man who brought him across the border. Santana lived in the Mission District, graduated from James Lick Middle School, and in 1965 from Mission High School. He was accepted at California State University, Northridge and Humboldt State University, but chose not to attend college.

### Early career

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Santana was influenced by popular artists of the 1950s such as B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Javier Batiz, and John Lee Hooker. Soon after he began playing guitar, he joined local bands along the "Tijuana Strip" where he was able to begin developing his own sound. He was also introduced to a variety of new musical influences, including jazz and 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 busking for spare change, Santana decided to become a full-time musician. In 1966 he was chosen along with other musicians to form an ad hoc band to substitute for that of an intoxicated Paul Butterfield set to play a Sunday matinee at Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium. Graham selected the substitutes from musicians he knew primarily through his connections with the Butterfield Blues Band, Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane. Santana's guitar playing caught the attention of both the audience and Graham.

During the same year he and fellow street musicians David Brown (bass guitar), Marcus Malone (percussion) and Gregg Rolie (lead vocals, Hammond Organ B3), formed the Santana Blues Band. Playing a highly original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa, and African rhythms, the band gained an immediate following on the San Francisco club circuit.

### Record deal, Woodstock breakthrough, and height of success: 1969–1972

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Santana's band was signed by Columbia Records, which shortened its name to simply "Santana". It went into the studio to record its first album in January 1969, finally laying down tracks in May that became its first album. Members were not satisfied with the release, dismissed drummer Bob Livingston, and added Mike Shrieve, who had a strong background in both jazz and rock. The band then lost percussionist Marcus Malone, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Michael Carabello was re-enlisted in his place, bringing with him experienced Nicaraguan percussionist Jose Chepito Areas.

Major rock music promoter Bill Graham, a Latin Music aficionado who had been a fan of Santana from its inception, arranged for the band to appear at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival before its debut album was even released. Its set was one of the surprises of the festival, highlighted by an eleven-minute performance of a throbbing instrumental, "Soul Sacrifice". Its inclusion in the *Woodstock* film and soundtrack album vastly increased the band's popularity. Graham also suggested Santana record the Willie Bobo song "Evil Ways", as he felt it would get radio airplay. The band's first album, *Santana*, was released in August 1969 and became a huge hit, reaching #4 on the U.S. album charts.

The band's performance at Woodstock and the follow-up sound track and movie introduced them to an international audience and garnered critical acclaim. The sudden success which followed put pressure on the group, highlighting the different musical directions Rolie and Santana were starting to go. Rolie, along with some of the other band members, wanted to emphasize a basic hard rock sound which had been a key component in establishing the band from the start. Santana, however, was increasingly interested in moving beyond his love of blues and rock and wanted more jazzy, ethereal elements in the music. He had become fascinated with Gábor Szabó, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, and John Coltrane, as well as developing a growing interest in spirituality. At the same time, Chepito Areas was stricken with a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, and Santana hoped to continue by finding a temporary replacement (first Willie Bobo, then Coke Escovedo), while others in the band, especially Michael Carabello, felt it was wrong to perform publicly without Areas. Cliques formed, and the band started to disintegrate.

Consolidating the interest generated by their first album, and their highly acclaimed live performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969, the band followed up with their second album, *Abraxas*, in September 1970. The album's mix of rock, blues, jazz, salsa and other influences was very well received, showing a musical maturation from their first album and refining the band's early sound. *Abraxas* included two of Santana's most enduring and well-known hits, "Oye Como Va", and "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen". *Abraxas* spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard chart at the end of 1970. The album remained on the charts for 88 weeks and was certified 4x platinum in 1986. In 2003 the album was ranked number 205 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Teenage San Francisco Bay Area guitar prodigy Neal Schon joined the Santana band in 1971, in time to complete the third album, *Santana III*. The band now boasted a powerful dual-lead-guitar act that gave the album a tougher sound. The sound of the band was also helped by the return of a recuperated Chepito Areas and the assistance of Coke Escovedo in the percussion section. Enhancing the band's sound further was the support of popular Bay Area group Tower of Power's horn section, Luis Gasca of Malo, and other session musicians which added to both percussion and vocals, injecting more energy to the proceedings. *Santana III* was another success, reaching #1 on the album charts, selling two million copies, and yielding the hit "No One to Depend On".

Tension between members of the band continued, however. Along with musical differences, drug use became a problem, and Santana was deeply worried that it was affecting the band's performance. Coke Escovedo encouraged Santana to take more control of the band's musical direction, much to the dismay of some of the others who thought that the band and its sound was a collective effort. Also, financial irregularities were exposed while under the management of Stan Marcum, whom Bill Graham criticized as being incompetent. Growing resentments between Santana and Michael Carabello over lifestyle issues resulted in his departure on bad terms. James Mingo Lewis was hired at the last minute as a replacement at a concert in New York City. David Brown later left due to substance abuse problems. A South American tour was cut short in Lima, Peru, due to unruly fans and to student protests against U.S. governmental policies.

In January 1972, Santana, Schon, Escovedo, and Lewis joined former Band of Gypsys drummer Buddy Miles for a concert at Hawaii's Diamond Head Crater, which was recorded for the album *Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live!*. The performance was erratic and uneven, but the album managed to achieve gold-record status on the weight of Santana's popularity.

### *Caravanserai*

In early 1972, Santana and the remaining members of the band started working on their fourth album, *Caravanserai*. During the studio sessions, Santana and Michael Shrieve brought in other musicians: percussionists James Mingo Lewis and Latin-Jazz veteran, Armando Peraza replacing Michael Carabello, and bassists Tom Rutley and Doug Rauch replacing David Brown. Also assisting on keyboards were Wendy Haas and Tom Coster. With the unsettling influx of new players in the studio, Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon decided that it was time to leave after the completion of the album, even though both contributed to the session. Rolie returned home to Seattle; later, along with Schon, both became founding members of Journey.

When *Caravanserai* did emerge in 1972, it marked a strong change in musical direction towards jazz fusion. The album received critical praise, but CBS executive Clive Davis warned Santana and the band that it would sabotage the band's position as a "Top 40" act. Nevertheless, over the years, the album achieved platinum status. The difficulties Santana and the band went through during this period were chronicled in Ben Fong-Torres' *Rolling Stone* 1972 cover story "The Resurrection of Carlos Santana".

Santana married Deborah King in 1973. She is the daughter of late blues singer and guitarist Saunders King. They have three children: Salvador, Stella and Angelica. Together with wife Deborah, Santana founded a not-for-profit organization, the Milagro ("Miracle") Foundation, which provides financial aid for educational, medical, and other needs. On October 19, 2007, Deborah Santana filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" after 34 years of marriage.

### Shifting styles and spirituality: 1972–1979

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In 1972, Santana became interested in the pioneering fusion band the Mahavishnu Orchestra and its guitarist, John McLaughlin. Aware of Santana's interest in meditation, McLaughlin introduced Santana, and his wife Deborah, to his guru, Sri Chinmoy. Chinmoy accepted them as disciples in 1973. Santana was given the name **Devadip**, meaning "The lamp, light and eye of God". Santana and McLaughlin recorded an album together, *Love, Devotion, Surrender* (1973) with members of Santana and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, along with percussionist Don Alias and organist Larry Young, both of whom had made appearances, along with McLaughlin, on Miles Davis' classic 1970 album *Bitches Brew*.

In 1973, Santana, having obtained legal rights to the band's name, *Santana*, formed a new version of the band with Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, Doug Rauch on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Tom Coster and Richard Kermode on keyboards. Santana later was able to recruit jazz vocalist Leon Thomas for the tour supporting *Caravanserai* in Japan on July 3 and 4, 1973, which was recorded for the 1974 live, sprawling, high-energy triple vinyl LP fusion album *Lotus*. CBS records would not allow its release unless the material was condensed. Santana did not agree to those terms, and *Lotus* was available in the U.S. only as an expensive, imported, three-record set. The group later went into the studio and recorded *Welcome* (1973), which further reflected Santana's interests in jazz fusion and his increasing commitment to the spiritual life of Sri Chinmoy.

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A collaboration with John Coltrane's widow, Alice Coltrane, *Illuminations* (1974), followed. The album delved into avant-garde esoteric free jazz, Eastern Indian and classical influences with other ex-Miles Davis sidemen Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland. Soon after, Santana replaced his band members again. This time Kermode, Thomas and Rauch departed from the group and were replaced by vocalist Leon Patillo (later a successful Contemporary Christian artist) and returning bassist David Brown. He also recruited soprano saxophonist, Jules Broussard for the lineup. The band recorded one studio album *Borboletta*, which was released in 1974. Drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler later joined the band as a replacement for Michael Shrieve, who left to pursue a solo career.

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By this time, Bill Graham's management company had assumed responsibility for the affairs of the group. Graham was critical of Santana's move into jazz and felt he needed to concentrate on getting *Santana* back into the charts with the edgy, streetwise ethnic sound that had made them famous. Santana himself was seeing that the group's direction was alienating many fans. Although the albums and performances were given good reviews by critics in jazz and jazz fusion circles, sales had plummeted.

Santana, along with Tom Coster, producer David Rubinson, and Chancler, formed yet another version of *Santana*, adding vocalist Greg Walker. The 1976 album *Amigos*, which featured the songs "Dance, Sister, Dance" and "Let It Shine", had a strong funk and Latin sound. The album received considerable airplay on FM album-oriented rock stations with the instrumental "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" and re-introduced *Santana* to the charts. In 1976 *Rolling Stone* ran a second cover story on *Santana* entitled "Santana Comes Home".

The albums conceived through the late 1970s followed the same formula, although with several lineup changes. Among the new personnel who joined was current percussionist Raul Rekow, who joined in early 1977. Most notable of the band's commercial efforts of this era was a version of the 1960s Zombies hit, "She's Not There", on the 1977 double album *Moonflower*.

Santana recorded two solo projects in this time: *Oneness: Silver Dreams – Golden Reality*, in 1979 and *The Swing of Delight* in 1980, which featured Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.

The pressures and temptations of being a high-profile rock musician and requirements of the spiritual lifestyle which guru Sri Chinmoy and his followers demanded were in conflict, and imposed considerable stress upon Santana's lifestyle and marriage. He was becoming increasingly disillusioned with what he thought were the unreasonable rules that Chinmoy imposed on his life, and in particular with his refusal to allow Santana and Deborah to start a family. He felt too that his fame was being used to increase the guru's visibility. Santana and Deborah eventually ended their relationship with Chinmoy in 1982.

### The 1980s

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More radio-friendly singles followed from Santana and the band. "Winning" in 1981 (from *Zebop!*) and "Hold On" (a remake of Canadian artist Ian Thomas' song) in 1982 both reached the top twenty. After his break with Sri Chinmoy, Santana went into the studio to record another solo album with Keith Olson and legendary R&B producer Jerry Wexler. The 1983 album *Havana Moon* revisited Santana's early musical experiences in Tijuana with Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" and the title cut, Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon". The album's guests included Booker T. Jones, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Willie Nelson and even Santana's father's mariachi orchestra. Santana again paid tribute to his early rock roots by doing the film score to *La Bamba*, which was based on the life of rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens and starred Lou Diamond Phillips.

The band *Santana* returned in 1985 with a new album, *Beyond Appearances*, and two years later with *Freedom*.

Growing weary of trying to appease record company executives with formulaic hit records, Santana took great pleasure in jamming and making guest appearances with notables such as the jazz fusion group Weather Report, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, Blues legend John Lee Hooker, Frank Franklin, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, and West African singer Salif Keita. He and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead later recorded and performed with Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji, who conceived one of Santana's famous 1960s drum jams, "Jingo". In 1988 Santana organized a reunion with past members from the Santana band for a series of concert dates. CBS records released a 20-year retrospective of the band's accomplishments with *Viva Santana!* double CD compilation. That same year Santana formed an all-instrumental group featuring jazz legend Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano saxophone. The group also included Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Alphonso Johnson on bass, Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler on drums. They toured briefly and received much acclaim from the music press, who compared the effort with the era of *Caravanserai* (1972). Santana released another solo record, *Blues for Salvador* (1987), which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In 1990, Santana left Columbia Records after twenty-two years and signed with Polygram. The following year he made a guest appearance on Ottmar Liebert's album, *Solo Para Ti* (1991), on the songs "Reaching out 2 U" and on a cover of his own song, "Samba Pa Ti". In 1992, Santana hired jam band Phish as his opening act.

### Return to commercial success

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Santana kicked off the 1990s with a new album *Spirits Dancing in the Flesh* in 1990. This was followed by *Milagro* in 1992, a live album *Sacred Fire* in 1993 and *Brothers* (a collaboration with his brother Jorge and nephew Carlos Hernandez) in 1994. But sales were relatively poor. Santana toured widely over the next few years but there were no further new album releases, and eventually, he was even without a recording contract. However, Arista Records' Clive Davis, who had worked with Santana at Columbia Records, signed him and encouraged him to record a star-studded album with mostly younger artists. The result was 1999's *Supernatural*, which included collaborations with Everlast, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, CeeLo Green, Maná, Dave Matthews, KC Porter, J. B. Eckl, and others.

However, the lead single was what grabbed the attention of both fans and the music industry. "Smooth", a dynamic cha-cha stop-start number co-written and sung by Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, was laced throughout with Santana's guitar fills and runs. The track's energy was immediately apparent on radio, and it was played on a wide variety of station formats. "Smooth" spent twelve weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming in the process the last #1 single of the 1990s. The music video, set on a hot barrio street, was also very popular. *Supernatural* reached number one on the US album charts and the follow-up single, "Maria Maria", featuring the R&B duo the Product G&B, also hit number one, spending ten weeks there in the spring of 2000. *Supernatural* eventually shipped over 15 million copies in the United States, and won 8 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, making it Santana's most successful album.

Carlos Santana, alongside the classic *Santana* lineup of their first two albums, was inducted as an individual, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. He performed "Black Magic Woman" with the writer of the song, Fleetwood Mac's founder Peter Green. Green was inducted the same night.

In 2000, *Supernatural* won nine Grammy Awards (eight for Santana personally), including Album of the Year, Record of the Year for "Smooth", and Song of the Year for Thomas and Itaal Shur. Santana's acceptance speeches described his feelings about music's place in one's spiritual existence. Later that year at the Latin Grammy Awards he won three awards including Record of the Year. In 2001, Santana's guitar skills were featured in Michael Jackson's song "Whatever Happens", from the album *Invincible*.

In 2002, Santana released *Shaman*, revisiting the *Supernatural* format of guest artists including Citizen Cope, P.O.D. and Seal. Although the album was not the runaway success its predecessor had been, it produced two radio-friendly hits. "The Game of Love" featuring Michelle Branch, rose to number five on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and spent many weeks at the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and "Why Don't You & I" written by and featuring Chad Kroeger from the group Nickelback (the original and a remix with Alex Band from the group the Calling were combined towards chart performance) which reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Game of Love" went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. In the same year, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

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In early August 2003, Santana was named fifteenth on *Rolling Stone* magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In 2004, Santana was honored as the Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy.

On April 21, 2005, Santana was honored as a BMI Icon at the 12th annual BMI Latin Awards. Santana was the first songwriter designated a BMI Icon at the company's Latin Awards. The honor is given to a creator who has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."

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In 2005, Herbie Hancock approached Santana to collaborate on an album again using the *Supernatural* formula. *Possibilities* was released on August 30, 2005, featuring Carlos Santana and Angélique Kidjo on "Safiatou". Also, in 2005, fellow Latin star Shakira invited Santana to play the soft rock guitar ballad "Illegal" on her second English-language studio album *Oral Fixation, Vol. 2*.

Santana's 2005 album *All That I Am* consists primarily of collaborations with other artists; the first single, the peppy "I'm Feeling You", was again with Michelle Branch and the Wreckers. Other musicians joining the mix this time included Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Kirk Hammett from Metallica, hip-hop artist/songwriter/producer will.i.am and guitarist/songwriter/producer George Pajon, hip-hop/reggae star Sean Paul and R&B singer Joss Stone. In April and May 2006, Santana toured Europe, where he promoted his son Salvador Santana's band as his opening act.

In 2007, Santana appeared, along with Sheila E. and José Feliciano, on Gloria Estefan's album *90 Millas,* on the single "No Llores". He also teamed again with Chad Kroeger for the hit single "Into the Night". He also played guitar in Eros Ramazzotti's hit "Fuoco nel fuoco" from the album *e²*.

In 2008, Santana was reported to be working with his longtime friend, Marcelo Vieira, on his solo album *Acoustic Demos*, which was released at the end of the year. It features tracks such as "For Flavia" and "Across the Grave", the latter said to feature heavy melodic riffs by Santana.

Carlos Santana performed at the 2009 American Idol Finale with the top 13 finalists, which starred many acts such as KISS, Queen and Rod Stewart. On July 8, 2009, Carlos Santana appeared at the Athens Olympic Stadium in Athens with his 10-member all-star band as part of his "Supernatural Santana – A Trip through the Hits" European tour. On July 10, 2009, he also appeared at Philip II Stadium in Skopje. With a 2.5-hour long concert and 20 000 people, Santana appeared for the first time in that region. "Supernatural Santana – A Trip through the Hits" was played at the Hard Rock hotel in Las Vegas, where it was played through 2011.

Santana is featured as a playable character in the music video game Guitar Hero 5. A live recording of his song "No One to Depend On" is included in game, which was released on September 1, 2009. More recently, in 2011, three Santana songs were offered as downloadable content (DLC) for guitar learning software Rocksmith: "Oye Como Va", "Smooth", and "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen". In the same year, Santana received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award.

Santana, since 2007, has opened a chain of upscale Mexican restaurants called "Maria Maria". It is a combined effort with Chef Roberto Santibañez. They are located in Tempe, Arizona; Mill Valley (now closed), Walnut Creek, Danville and San Diego; Austin, Texas; and Boca Raton, Florida.

In 2012, Santana released an album *Shape Shifter* consisting of mostly instrumental tracks.
On February 23, 2013 there was a public announcement on ultimateclassicrock.com about a reunion of the surviving members (minus Jose “Chepito” Areas) of the Santana band who recorded Santana III in 1971. The subsequent album to be titled Santana IV.

On May 6, 2014, his first ever Spanish language album *Corazón* was released.

On September 12, 2015, Carlos Santana appeared as a member of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh's band Phil Lesh and Friends at the third annual Lockn' Festival.

In 2016, Carlos Santana reunited with past Santana band members Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, and Neil Schon to release the album: *Santana IV* and the band embarked on a brief tour. A full set from this lineup was filmed at the House of Blues in Las Vegas and was released as a live album and a DVD titled *Live at the House of Blues Las Vegas*.

In 2017, Santana collaborated with the Isley Brothers to release the album *The Power of Peace* on July 28, 2017.

In December 2018, Santana published a guitar lesson on YouTube as part of the online education series MasterClass.

In October 2019, Santana was featured on the Tyga song Mamacitá alongside YG. The song's music video was premiered on YouTube on the 25th of October.

## Equipment

### Guitars and effects

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Santana played a red Gibson SG Special with P-90 pickups at the Woodstock festival (1969). During 1970–1972 the time between the release of *Abraxas* (1970) and *Santana III* 1971, he used different Gibson Les Pauls and a black Gibson SG Special. In 1974 he played and endorsed the Gibson L6-S Custom. This can be heard on the album *Borboletta* (1974). From 1976 until 1982 his main guitar was a Yamaha SG 175B, and sometimes a white Gibson SG Custom with three open coil pick-ups. In 1982 he started to use a custom made PRS Custom 24 guitar. In 1988 PRS Guitars began making Santana signature model guitars, which Santana has played through its various iterations ever since (see below).

Santana currently uses a Santana II model guitar fitted with PRS Santana III nickel covered pickups, a tremolo bar, and .009-.042 gauge D'Addario strings. He also plays a PRS Santana MD "The Multidimensional" guitar.
The Santana guitars feature necks made of a single piece of mahogany topped with rosewood fretboards (some feature highly sought-after Brazilian rosewood). This helps create the smooth, singing, glass-like tone for which he is known.

Santana Signature Models:

* PRS Santana I "The Yellow" guitar (1988)
* PRS Santana II "Supernatural" guitar (1999)
* PRS Santana III guitar (2001)
* PRS Santana SE guitar (2001)
* PRS Santana SE II guitar (2003)
* PRS Santana Shaman SE-Limited Edition guitar (2003)
* PRS Santana MD "The Multidimensional" guitar (2008)
* PRS Santana 25th Anniversary guitar (2009)
* PRS Santana Abraxas SE-Limited Edition guitar (2009)
* PRS Santana SE "The Multidimensional" guitar (2011)
* PRS Santana Retro guitar (2017)
* PRS Santana Yellow SE guitar (2017)

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Santana also uses a classical guitar, he used the Alvarez Yairi CY127CE with Alvarez tension nylon strings, in the last years from 2009 he uses custom made, semi-hollow Toru Nittono's "Model-T" Jazz Electric Nylon.

Santana does not use many effects pedals. His PRS guitar is connected to a Mu-Tron Wah-wah pedal (or, more recently, a Dunlop 535Q wah and a T-Rex Replica delay pedal, then through a customized Jim Dunlop amp switcher which in turn is connected to the different amps or cabinets.

Previous setups include an Ibanez Tube Screamer right after the guitar.
He is also known to have used an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff distortion for his famous sustain. In the song "Stand Up" from the album *Marathon* (1979), Santana uses a Heil talk box in the guitar solo. He has also used the Audiotech Guitar Products 1x6 Rack Mount Audio Switcher in rehearsals for the 2008 "Live Your Light" tour.

Santana uses two different guitar picks: the large triangular Dunlop he has used for so many years, and the V-Pick Freakishly Large Round.

### Amplifiers

Carlos Santana's distinctive guitar tone is produced by PRS Santana signature guitars plugged into multiple amplifiers. The amps consist of a Mesa Boogie Mark I, Dumble Overdrive Reverb and more recently a Bludotone amplifier. Santana compares the tonal qualities of each amplifier to that of a singer producing head/nasal tones, chest tones, and belly tones. A three-way amp switcher is employed on Carlos's pedal board to enable him to switch between amps. Often the unique tones of each amplifier are blended together, complementing each other producing a richer tone.

He also put the "Boogie" in Mesa Boogie. Santana is credited with coining the popular Mesa amplifier name when he tried one and exclaimed, "That little thing really Boogies!"

Specifically, Santana combines a Mesa/Boogie Mark I head running through a Boogie cabinet with Altec 417-8H (or recently JBL E120s) speakers, and a Dumble Overdrive Reverb and/or a Dumble Overdrive Special running through a Brown or Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M "Greenback" speakers, depending on the desired sound. Shure KSM-32 microphones are used to pick up the sound, going to the PA. Additionally, a Fender Cyber-Twin Amp is mostly used at home.

During his early career Santana used a GMT transistor amplifier stack and a silverface Fender Twin. The GMT 226A rig was used at the Woodstock concert as well as during recording Santana's debut album. During this era Santana had also begun to use the Fender Twin, which was also used on the debut and proceedinglyTemplate:Clarify at the recording sessions of Abraxas.

## Personal life

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Santana became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1965.

Santana married Deborah King in 1973. She is the daughter of blues singer and guitarist Saunders King. They have three children: Salvador, Stella and Angelica. Together with wife Deborah, Santana founded a not-for-profit organization, the Milagro ("Miracle") Foundation, which provides financial aid for educational, medical, and other needs. On October 19, 2007, Deborah Santana filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" after 34 years of marriage.

Santana became engaged to drummer Cindy Blackman after proposing to her during a concert of the Universal Tone Tour at Tinley Park in suburban Chicago, Illinois on July 9, 2010. The two were married in December 2010, and live in Las Vegas.

## Discography

*Main articles: Carlos Santana discography and Santana discography*
### Studio Albums

* *Love Devotion Surrender* (1973)
* *Illuminations* (1974)
* *Oneness – Silver Dreams Golden Reality* (1979)
* *The Swing of Delight* (1980)
* *Havana Moon* (1983)
* *Blues for Salvador* (1987)
* *Santana Brothers* (1994)

### Live Albums

* *Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live!* (1972)
* *Carlos Santana Live* (2004)
* *Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter* (2007)

### Compilation Albums

* *Magic of Carlos Santana* (2001)
* *The Latin Sound of Carlos Santana* (2003)
* *Carlos Santana* (2004)
* *Very Best of Carlos Santana* (2005)
* *Carlos Santana* (2006)
* *Havana Moon/Blues for Salvador* (2007)
* *Multi-Dimensional Warrior* (2008)

## Memoir

On November 4, 2014, his memoir, *The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light*  was published. Template:ISBN

## Awards and nominations

For awards and nominations received by the band Santana, see List of awards and nominations received by Santana.

## References

1. ↑ "RCA's Peter Edge, Tom Corson on the Shuttering of Jive, J and Arista". *Billboard*. October 7, 2011. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/rca-s-peter-edge-tom-corson-on-the-shuttering-1005394732.story. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
2. ↑ "100 Greatest Guitarists*;* Rolling Stone*"**.* Rolling Stone*. December 18, 2015. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180730235138/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-guitarists-153675/carlos-santana-2-156054/. Retrieved August 12, 2018.*
3. ↑ [[[:Template:Allmusic]] "Santana received 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards"]. 1999. Template:Allmusic. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
4. ↑ "Santana". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/santana. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
5. ↑ Template:Cite book
6. ↑ "Carlos Santana Influences". Dougpayne.com. April 23, 1977. http://www.dougpayne.com/carlos.htm. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
7. ↑ "Santana Says He Was Molested As A Child". mtv.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/621663/santana-says-he-was-molested-as-a-child/.
8. ↑ "50 facts from life of Carlos Santana", *BOOMSbeat* (December 29, 2015).
9. ↑ "Javier Bátiz, Santana – I love you much too much (en directo)". June 2, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCdHpq8KLlo.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Template:Cite journal
11. ↑ Shapiro, Marc, "Carlos Santana: Back on Top”, pages 57–58, St. Martin’s Press, Template:ISBN, 2000.
12. ↑ Ruhlmann, William (2003). [[[:Template:Allmusic]] "Carlos Santana > Biography"]. Template:Allmusic. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
13. ↑ Carlos Santana." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, September 12, 2013. academic.eb.com.ezproxy4.library.arizona.edu/levels/collegiate/article/476059. Accessed February 2, 2017.
14. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
15. ↑ "Chart Beat Bonus". *Billboard*. November 1, 2002. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/73601/chart-beat-bonus. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
16. ↑ "Santana – Abraxas". Superseventies.com. http://www.superseventies.com/spsantana2.html. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
17. ↑ Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "205 | Abraxas – Santana". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. Template:ISBN. Template:OCLC. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2006.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Dean Goodman (July 12, 2010). "Carlos Santana proposes onstage to girlfriend", Reuters. Retrieved on November 8, 2010.
19. ↑ "Two sets of Phish opening for Santana, summers '92 and '96" (in en). 3 June 2012. http://kdrt.org/audio/two-sets-phish-opening-santana-summers-92-and-96. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
20. ↑ "International Latin Music Hall of Fame Announces Inductees for 2002" (April 5, 2002). Retrieved on October 31, 2015.
21. ↑ "Latin honours for Carlos Santana", *BBC News* (May 25, 2004). Retrieved on November 8, 2010.
22. ↑ "Artists Announced for Tribute to Carlos Santana at BMI Latin Awards in Las Vegas". bmi.com. http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234386. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
23. ↑ "Carlos Santana Grooves in Guitar Hero 5, which included the song black magic woman". idiomag. July 21, 2009. http://www.idiomag.com/peek/92605/carlos\_santana. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
24. ↑ "Carlos Santana set for lifetime award". April 23, 2009. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/carlos-santana-set-lifetime-award-82850. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
25. ↑ Ella Lawrence (January 28, 2010). "Carlos Santana opens Maria Maria in Danville", *San Francisco Chronicle*.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "In Music, Carlos Santana Seeks The Divine". NPR. November 4, 2014. https://www.npr.org/blogs/altlatino/2014/11/04/355910895/in-music-carlos-santana-seeks-the-divine. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
27. ↑ "Carlos Santana Joins Online MasterClass Teaching Staff". December 13, 2018. https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/carlos-santana-masterclass/.
28. ↑ "Santana – Musician's Corner – Blue Guitar". Santana.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090506061638/http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars/blue.html. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
29. ↑ "Santana – Musician's Corner – Red Guitar". Santana.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090401154851/http://www.santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars/red.html. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
30. ↑ "Santana – Musician's Corner – Acoustic Guitar". Santana.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090218122850/http://santana.com/musicianscorner/guitars/acoustic.html. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
31. ↑ "Toru Nittono Guitars". Nittonoguitars.com. http://www.nittonoguitars.com/home.html. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 [1] Template:Webarchive
33. ↑ [2] Template:Webarchive
34. ↑ [3] Template:Webarchive
35. ↑ "The Mesa Boogie Story – a history". Mesaboogie.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140220030205/http://www.mesaboogie.com/US/Smith/our\_story.html. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
36. ↑ "Welcome to the Pacific Coast Immigration Museum". learn.pacificcoastimmigration.org. http://learn.pacificcoastimmigration.org/notable/profiles/csantana.html. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
37. ↑ "Carlos Santana". http://www.biography.com/people/carlos-santana-9542276#personal-life.
38. ↑ "Carlos Santana Is Engaged!". *Us Weekly*. http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/carlos-santana-is-engaged-2010127. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
39. ↑ "Carlos Santana Proposes to Drummer Girlfriend Onstage". *Billboard*. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957423/carlos-santana-proposes-to-drummer-girlfriend-onstage. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
40. ↑ "Realtor – Real Estate News and Advice Community". Realtor.com. http://www.realtor.com/blogs/2013/06/19/carlos-santana-drops-big-money-on-rock-star-pad-in-vegas/. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
41. ↑ "Carlos Santana: 'I Am A Reflection Of Your Light'". NPR. November 4, 2014. https://www.npr.org/2014/11/04/360092359/carlos-santana-i-am-a-reflection-of-your-light. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
42. ↑ "Tony Bennett To Receive Billboard's Century Award". *Billboard*. Nielsen Business Media. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/57630/tony-bennett-to-receive-billboards-century-award. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
43. ↑ "CHCI Medallion of Excellence Awardees". Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20101214210605/http://www.chci.org/events/page/chci-medallion-of-excellence-awardees. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
44. ↑ Template:Harvnb
45. ↑ Template:Cite journal
46. ↑ "Carlos Santana | Artist". The Recording Academy. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/carlos-santana. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
47. ↑ "Hollywood Walk of Fame Carlos Santana". Hollywood Walk of Fame. http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/index.php?module=wof&s=nor&p=1&sname=Carlos+Santana&wof\_id=933. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
48. ↑ "List of Kennedy Center Honorees". Kennedy-center.org. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20081209052332/http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history.cfm. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
49. ↑ "Carlos Santana To Be Inducted Into NAACP Image Awards Hall Of Fame". Ultimate Guitar. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general\_music\_news/carlos\_santana\_to\_be\_inducted\_into\_naacp\_image\_awards\_hall\_of\_fame.html. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
50. ↑ ""Rock the Vote": How a Battle Against Rock Censorship Became a Transformation of Voting Among American Youth". Rock & Roll Library. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110928050844/http://www.rocklibrary.com/Library/Entity.aspx?id=419f052f-35a7-4ef7-9884-0c119d1e2ad1. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
51. ↑ "Director's contribution to Chicano movement honored". https://dailybruin.com/2003/04/10/directors-contribution-to-chic/. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
52. ↑ Template:Cite journal

## Sources

* *Soul Sacrifice; The Carlos Santana Story*, Simon Leng, 2000
* *Space Between The Stars*, Deborah Santana, 2004
* *Rolling Stone*, "The Resurrection of Carlos Santana", Ben Fong Torres, 1972
* *New Musical Express*, "Spirit of Santana". Chris Charlesworth, November 1973
* *Guitar Player* Magazine, 1978
* *Rolling Stone*, "The Epic Life of Carlos Santana", 2000
* *Santana I* – Sony Legacy Edition: liner notes
* *Abraxas* – Sony Legacy Edition: liner notes
* *Santana III* – Sony Legacy edition: liner notes
* *Viva Santana* – CBS CD release 1988; liner notes
* *Power, Passion and Beauty – The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra* Walter Kolosky 2006
* *Best of Carlos Santana* – Wolf Marshall 1996; introduction and interview

## Further reading

* Chipley Slavicek, Louise. *Carlos Santana*, Chelsea House Publications or Facts on File, 2006, 119 p., Template:ISBN
* Leng, Simon. *Soul Sacrifice: The Santana Story*, Firefly-S.A.F. Publishing, 2000, 224 p., Template:ISBN. Republ. as *Santana*, Catedra, 2002, Template:ISBN
* McCarthy, Jim; Ron Sansoe, Ron, foreword by Carlos Santana. *Voices of Latin Rock: The People and Events That Created This Sound*, Omnibus Press, 2004 and Hal Leonard Publishing, 2005, 316 p., Template:ISBN
* Miller, Hal; Santana Debbie; Faulkner, John (ed.), w/ a foreword by Bill Graham. *Santana: A Retrospective of the Santana Band's Twenty Years in Music*, San Francisco Mission Cultural Center, 1987 or 1988, 50p., no ISBN.  Includes a 4-p genealogical tree w/ the members's name for every Santana band from 1966.
* Molenda, Michael (ed.). *Guitar Player Presents Carlos Santana*, Backbeat Books, 2010, 124 p., Template:ISBN
* Remstein, Henna. *Carlos Santana (Latinos in the Limelight)*, Chelsea House Publications, 2001, 64 p., Template:ISBN
* Shapiro, Marc. *Carlos Santana: Back on Top*, St-Martin's Press, 2000 and 2002, 288 p., Template:ISBN
* Sumsion, Michael. *Maximum Santana: The Unauthorized Biography of Santana*, Chrome Dreams, 2003, Template:ISBN. A CD-audio biog
* Weinstein, Norman. *Carlos Santana: A Biography*, Greenwood Press, 2009, 152 p., Template:ISBN
* Woog, Adam. *Carlos Santana: Legendary Guitarist*, Lucent Books, 2006, 104 p., Template:ISBN

## External links

Template:Portal
Template:Wikipedia books
Template:Commons+cat

* Official website
* Milagro Foundation
* Information about Carlos Santana
* Concerts online at Wolfgang's Vault
* Music Carlos Santana

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Template:Authority control

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