Santana Essay Research Paper Santana was born

Santana Essay, Research Paper

Santana was born on July 20, 1947 in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico. His dad

was a Violinist and Carlos learned to play the Guitar at age 8. In 1955

he moved to Tijuana and began to play in strip clubs. He was inspired

by B.B. King, Little Richard, and Ray Charles. In the early 1960?s he

moved again to San Francisco where his father hoped to find work.

In San Francisco he got the chance to see his idols, which made

him want to practice more to become better. After several

years of dishwashing in a diner he decided to become a full

time musician. In 1966 he formed a band called the Santana

Blues Band, with fellow street musicians bassist David Brown

and keyboard player Gregg Rolie.

With their highly original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues,

salsa, and African rhythms, the band which quickly became known simply as

Santana gained an immediate following on the San Francisco club scene. The

band?s early success, capped off by a memorable performance at Woodstock

in 1969, led to a recording contract with Columbia Records. Their first

album, Santana which came out in 1969, spurred by a Top 10 single, ?Evil

Ways,? that went triple platinum, selling over four million copies and

remaining on the Billboard chart for over two years. Abraxas, released

in 1970, went platinum, scoring two more hit singles, ?Oye Como Va? and

?Black Magic Woman.? The band?s next two albums, Santana III that came

out in1971 and Caravanserai, which came out in 1972, were also critical

and popular successes. As the band?s personnel changed frequently,

the band Santana came to be associated almost exclusively with Santana

himself?who soon became the only remaining member of the original trio. In

addition to his work with his band, Santana recorded and performed with

a number of other musicians, notably including the jazz drummer Buddy

Miles, pianist Herbie Hancock, and guitarist John McLaughlin. Along with

McLaughlin, Santana became a devoted follower of the spiritual guru Sri

Chimnoy during the early 1970s. Disillusioned with the druggy world of

1970s rock music, Santana turned to Chimnoy?s teachings of meditation