Carlos Santana
Carlos
Santana was introduced to music at a very early age in his home town
of Autolan, Mexico. His father was a talented Mariachi
violinist who taught him the basic principles of music and theory.
Although he enjoyed playing traditional music, he quickly discovered
its limits, and found himself wanting more. He wanted to play
the Rock 'n' Roll he heard on the radio, and somehow blend it with
his traditional music.
In 1955, Carlos and his family moved to Tijuana. It was there that he picked up the guitar, and began to learn how to play emulating musicians such as B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, and Jonny Lee Hooker. He was soon playing with local bands, adding his own flare to the rock 'n' roll of the 50's era.
In 1960, his family moved to San
Francisco. He stayed behind to polish his personal style
before joining his family there a year later. There, he
enrolled in school, learned English, and started a street band
called Santana Blues Band. They became a huge success playing
at many large venues from Filmore West, to Woodstock in 1969.
The
world loved Carlos. His mix of Latin Rock and Blues was unlike
anything his fans had ever heard before. On each of his albums
(8 gold and 7 platinum) you can hear his expressiveness, and his
experimentation. The band's first album, Santana, went to
double platinum status; followed by , Abraxis, in 1970 which went
quadruple platinum. The band went on to release Santana III in
1971, followed by a greatest hits album in 1974. During this
time, the band was also touring world wide.
Carlos, as well as the Santana Blues Band has won several awards throughout the years including: CBS's Crystal Globe award for sales of more than 5 million albums world wide, Best Pop/Rock guitarist (multiple times) by Playboy magazine's reader's poll, 1988 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, was the subject of a special recording academy (NARAS) tribute concert during the 1996 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk, received 10 Bay Area music awards including Musician of the Year, and Best Guitarist, was inducted along with Billy Graham and Jerry Garcia into the Bammy Hall of Fame, the Billboard Century Award for Creative Achievement, Latino Music Legend of the Year at the Chicago Music Awards. He has also earned several Humanitarian awards. In 1997, Santana was immortalized in bronze in a limited edition sculpture entitled "Viva Santana" by Paul Wegner.
Carlos Santana has had a long career of touring and recording. He has played around the world for millions of fans. His career continues to hold strong, and if he has anything to do with it, it won't end for quite some time. He has proven himself to be an outstanding musician using his creativity and passion for the guitar to create a sound all his own.
Click on the pic to buy Carlos
Santana Sacred Fire, Live in Mexico on DVD