Santana (band)
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Santana is an American rock band formed in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California, in 1966 by Mexican-born guitarist
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
. The band has undergone various recording and performing line-ups in its history, with Santana being the only consistent member. After signing with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, the band's appearance at the
Woodstock Festival The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
in 1969 increased their profile and they went on to record the critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums ''
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
'' (1969), '' Abraxas'' (1970) and '' Santana III'' (1971). These were recorded by the group's "classic" line-up, comprising lead vocalist Gregg Rolie, percussionists José "Chepito" Areas and Michael Carabello, drummer Michael Shrieve and bassist David Brown. Hit songs of this period include "
Evil Ways Evil Ways may refer to: * "Evil Ways" (Drake song) * "Evil Ways" (Santana song) {{disambiguation ...
" (1970), " Black Magic Woman" (1970), "
Oye Como Va Oye is Spanish for "hey" or "listen". Oye or Oye! or OYE may refer to: Geography *Oye, Ekiti, a town and LGA in Ekiti State. *Oye-Plage, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Oyes, a commune in Marne, France People *Kenneth A. Oye, an American pol ...
" (1971) and the instrumental " Samba Pa Ti" (1973). Following a change in line-up and musical direction in 1972, the band experimented with elements of
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
on ''
Caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
'' (1972), '' Welcome'' (1973) and '' Borboletta'' (1974). The band reached a new peak of critical and commercial success with their eighteenth album, ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' (1999), which included the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one singles " Smooth" (featuring Rob Thomas) and " Maria Maria" (featuring The Product G&B). The album peaked atop the charts in eleven countries and sold 12 million copies domestically. It won eight
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
at the
42nd Annual Grammy Awards The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999. Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main ...
, a record tied with
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
and three
Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...
. In 2014, the "classic" line-up—with the exception of Brown, who died in 2000—reunited for ''
Santana IV ''Santana IV'' is the twenty-fourth studio album (and the thirty-eighth album overall) by American rock band Santana, released in April 2016. Overview The album reunited most of the surviving members from the early 1970s lineup of the band (i ...
'' (2016) and the group continue to perform and record. Santana is one of the best-selling groups of all time, with over 47 million certified records sold in the US and an estimated 100 million sold worldwide. Its
discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...
includes 25 studio albums, 14 of which reached the US Top 10. In 1998, the line-up of Santana, Rolie, Carabello, Shrieve, Brown and Areas was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
."Santana"
. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 15 February 2024.


History


1966–1972: Formation and breakthrough

In 1966, Mexican-born American musician
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
discovered San Francisco's
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
and
counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
movement and found himself "wanting to be part of this new wave." Later that year, he began to assemble his own band, the first line-up of which included Sergio "Gus" Rodriguez on bass, Danny Haro on drums, and Michael Carabello on percussion. In January 1967, the four were granted an audition spot for concert promoter Bill Graham at the Fillmore Auditorium on a bill with the
Paul Butterfield Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer, and bandleader. After early training as a Western concert flute, classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored ...
Blues Band and the Charles Lloyd Quartet, and named themselves the Santana Blues Band. Within a month, the group expanded with the addition of Tom Fraser on guitar and vocals, who also brought in Gregg Rolie on organ and vocals. The band stalled for several weeks, however, after Carlos was hospitalised with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. In June 1967, Graham fired the group from performing at the Fillmore after some members turned up late for a gig supporting
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
and Loading Zone. The incident drove Carlos to bring in new and committed musicians, keeping Rolie with him. By the year's end, the band adopted the shorter name of Santana. Until early 1969, the band were joined by
Marcus Malone Marcus "The Magnificent" Malone (July 29, 1944 – October 12, 2021) was an American percussionist and a founding member of the Latin rock band Santana (band), Santana. Life and career Malone was born in Memphis, Tennessee. The band Santana ( ...
on percussion, who left the group after being convicted of manslaughter. In late 1968, the group secured a record deal with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, following a successful audition opening for the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
. The band had caught the interest of Columbia and
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, and an audition was organised for both labels, but Carlos refused to perform for Atlantic as he wanted to be on the same label as
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
and
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
. In December, Santana performed a series of concerts at the Fillmore that were recorded for a proposed live album. Biographer Simon Leng said it marked Santana moving away from its blues and R&B roots towards the "Santana sound" with the addition of Afro-Cuban and jazz numbers into their sets. After several line-up changes, the group finally stabilised in May 1969 with Santana, Rolie, Carabello, David Brown on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Jose "Chepito" Areas on percussion, which became known as the "classic" line-up. The band recorded their debut album, ''
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
'', in San Francisco in May 1969. It was their third go at recording an album, after previous attempts failed to produce results they wanted. The sessions featured Alberto Gianquinto on piano, who also helped with the arrangements of the tracks. He quickly noticed the group's main problem: the solo spots were too long. Graham agreed, and advised that the band needed to cut the lengthy jams and begin constructing songs. He also got the band to listen to
Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin jazz percussionist and jazz drummer of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino m ...
's version of "
Evil Ways Evil Ways may refer to: * "Evil Ways" (Drake song) * "Evil Ways" (Santana song) {{disambiguation ...
", and suggested they record their own version. With the album recorded, Graham arranged for Santana to tour the Midwest as openers for Crosby, Stills and Nash, which expanded the group's profile outside the West Coast. Around this time, Graham had been asked to help organise the upcoming
Woodstock Festival The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
and agreed to promote it on the condition that Santana would be added to the bill. Graham persisted, and the band were assigned a 45-minute set in the afternoon of August 16, the second day, for $2,500. The performance launched the group to international fame, and ''Santana'', released on August 30, peaked at No. 4 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The first single, " Jingo", was followed by "Evil Ways", which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. In October 1969, Graham had Santana perform at the
Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
rock music festival and on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
'', further increasing the group's nationwide exposure. In April 1970, Santana returned to the studio to record its second album, '' Abraxas''. The album, highlighted by a reworking of " Black Magic Woman" by
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
that peaked at No. 4 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, was released in September 1970 and rose to number 1 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. By 1971, the group were still struggling to maintain a strong musical direction. From January to July they recorded '' Santana III''. Released in September 1971, the album also reached number 1 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. At the peak of the band's popularity, the album was the last to feature its classic Woodstock era line-up. Santana explained that there was a lot of unnecessary internal resentment and that managerial problems contributed to the problem, leading to Graham's dismissal. That year, they performed at a concert in
Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
to commemorate
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
's 14th
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
. The concert was filmed and released in theaters as '' Soul to Soul''. Matters came to a head shortly before the ''Santana III'' tour in September 1971 began, when Carlos wanted Carabello to leave the group, otherwise Carlos himself would quit. The band started the tour without Carlos, performing amidst shouts from the audience for the guitarist. After several gigs, Carlos reunited with the band to find Carabello, Areas, and manager/promoter Stan Marcum had quit, leaving the band to perform without percussionists. James "Mingo" Lewis was quickly brought in as a temporary replacement after he saw the band live and offered his services. Santana's gig in
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, Peru in December 1971 brought further trouble, as the outbreak of violence resulted in their equipment being confiscated and the band deported from the country. The incident was a wake-up call for Carlos, who was determined to "bring the madness to an end." In 1972, Santana had been increasingly influenced by the music of
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
,
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
, and Joe Zawinul, who had explored jazz fusion by this time. The fourth album, ''
Caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
'' (1972), marked a number of line-up changes; bassist David Brown left in 1971 before recording started and was replaced by Doug Rauch and Tom Rutley. Carabello was replaced with two percussionists, Armando Peraza and Mingo Lewis. Rolie was replaced by Tom Coster on a few songs. ''Caravanserai'' debuted at number 8 in the US.


1973–1979: Experimentation and consolidation

13 months after ''Caravanserai'', Santana released '' Welcome''. ''Welcome'' was the first of four consecutive albums to achieve gold certification, as opposed to the previous four, which all at least reached platinum status. The album peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the lowest of the band's career so far. The next few albums contained a more experimental style than their previous work, beginning with '' Borboletta'', which fared arguably worse than its predecessor, despite climbing five spots higher on the Billboard album charts in the US. The group's 1976 release, '' Amigos'', was far more successful. Reaching number 10 on the US charts, and also hitting the top 10 in France, Australia, New Zealand, Austria and the Netherlands, it was a return to the success of their early albums. ''
Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
'', did not obtain the same newfound success, but was followed by another successful album, '' Moonflower'', released in 1977. The album was possibly the most successful since ''Santana III'', achieving 2× platinum in the US, and being the first album since 1974's ''Borboletta'', to break the top 10 in the UK. It was characterized by a stylistic shift for the band, as it contained heavier influences from the more conventional sound of the group's early work, while still maintaining the experimental sound of their last few albums. Their next two releases, '' Inner Secrets'' and ''
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
'', released in 1978 and '79, respectively, were a further musical shift for the band, moving away from the Latin-fused rock music that had characterized their work in the late 1960s and the majority of the '70s, to move towards a more album-oriented, conventional rock sound. These albums, however, fared poorly commercially, although both achieved gold status in the US.


1980–1997: Commercial decline and seven-year hiatus

The 1980s started relatively brightly for Santana, with 1981's platinum-selling '' Zebop!'', which also reached the top 20 in several countries, and continued the more conventional rock sound. The following year, '' Shangó'' was released; this album marked a steep decline in the band's commercial fortunes, although it still achieved gold status. The group waited another three years to release the follow-up, the longest break for them so far. 1985's '' Beyond Appearances'' was a commercial failure, and their first album not to achieve gold certification. Their following three releases all continued this commercial decline, with the last of these failing to break the ''Billboard'' top 100. In the midst of this commercial pitfall, the band stopped recording material for an unprecedented seven years but continued to tour.


1998–2001: ''Supernatural'' and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 1998, Santana was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
. The following year, their album ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' (1999) debuted at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached No. 1 after eighteen weeks. Also reaching No. 1 were two singles: " Smooth", recorded with Rob Thomas, and " Maria Maria" featuring The Product G&B. The album was certified platinum 15 times by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
and sold 30 million copies worldwide. Santana's previous number one album had been '' Santana III'' in 1971. According to ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'', this is the longest gap between number one albums. ''Supernatural'' won eight Grammy Awards, including the award for Album of the Year, and also won three
Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...
.


2002–2012: Dealing with newfound success

The follow-up to ''Supernatural'' came three years later and was highly anticipated by international media and fans alike. On October 22, 2002, ''
Shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
'' was released worldwide. Although it initially sold briskly (298,973 copies in the US in its first week) and debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the album's appeal quickly wore off and it soon slid down the charts. Despite this, it went on to sell 2× platinum in the US, and achieved platinum status in several other countries including Australia. The first single released from the album, " The Game of Love", which featured vocals from Michelle Branch, debuted at number 5 on the Hot 100. The album's next four singles failed to chart in most countries, but the final single, " Why Don't You & I", featuring the vocals of
Alex Band Alex Band (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the vocalist for the Los Angeles-based rock music, rock band The Calling (band), the Calling. He performed their hit song "Wherever You Wil ...
, reached number 8 on the Hot 100. Musically, the album was a return to a more conventional sound for the group, with a mainly Latin rock-based sound. With their renewed appeal worn off, another three-year wait saw the release of 2005's '' All That I Am''. The album debuted at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 but fared worse internationally, and quickly lost appeal. The album, a continuation of the Latin-rock influenced sound of ''Shaman'', achieved gold certification in the US. A five-year break from recording saw the release of another studio album, '' Guitar Heaven'' (2010). Musically it was a drastic change for the band, with a far heavier sound at its core and strong heavy metal influences. It debuted at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200 but marked another decline for the band, failing to achieve gold status. In 2012 the group released ''
Shape Shifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...
'', which returned to the conventional Latin rock sound and was completely album-oriented, as no singles were released from it. It debuted at number 16 on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
.


2013–2020: Reunion of the classic line-up, ''Corazón'', ''Santana IV'', and ''Africa Speaks''

On 2 February 2013, Carlos Santana confirmed that he would reunite his classic line-up, most of whom played Woodstock with him in 1969. Santana stated that he was reuniting the group with the intention of recording new music. Confirmed for the reunion were Neal Schon, who was in the band in the early 1970s where he traded lead guitar work with Santana before leaving with founding Santana singer-organist Gregg Rolie in 1973 to form Journey; drummer Mike Shrieve and percussionist Mike Carabello. Santana said of Rolie, who played with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band for the last two years, "I'm pretty sure Gregg's going to do it." In February 2013, Rolie told Radio.com, "it's (the reunion) just a matter of putting it together and going and doing it. I would do it. I think it's a great idea. People would love it. It could be great!" In the meantime, on 6 May 2014 Santana released a new studio album entitled '' Corazón'' and on 9 September 2014, ''Corazón – Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It'', a new live album (on CD, DVD and Blu-ray) of their show on 14 December 2013 in Guadalajara, Mexico. On 15 April 2016, Santana released ''
Santana IV ''Santana IV'' is the twenty-fourth studio album (and the thirty-eighth album overall) by American rock band Santana, released in April 2016. Overview The album reunited most of the surviving members from the early 1970s lineup of the band (i ...
'', the wildly anticipated studio album that reunited the early 1970s classic lineup of Carlos Santana (guitar, vocals), Gregg Rolie (keyboards, lead vocals), Neal Schon (guitar, vocals), Michael Carabello (percussion) and Michael Shrieve (drums). The album marked the first time in 45 years – since 1971's multi-platinum classic '' Santana III'' – that the quintet had recorded together. The origins for the reunion go back several years, when Schon suggested that he and Carlos Santana record together. Santana liked the idea but went one better, proposing that they recruit Rolie, Shrieve and Carabello for what would be called "Santana IV". After initial writing sessions and rehearsals took place in 2013, the group recorded throughout 2014 and 2015, amassing 16 new tracks that combined all their signature elements – Afro-Latin rhythms, soaring vocals, electrifying blues-psychedelic guitar solos, and irrepressible jubilant percussion work. About the "Santana IV" team, Santana stated: "It was magical, we didn't have to try to force the vibe – it was immense. From there, we then needed to come up with a balance of songs and jams that people would immediately identify as Santana." ''Santana IV'' features 16 all-new tracks written and produced by the band. Joining the core "Santana IV" band in the studio are current Santana members Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Benny Rietveld (bass), with vocalist
Ronald Isley Ronald Isley ( ; born May 21, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sallye Bernice (née Bell) and O ...
guesting on two cuts. The first single from ''Santana IV'', entitled "Anywhere You Want to Go", was released on 5 February 2016. On 21 October 2016, Santana released ''Santana IV: Live at the House of Blues Las Vegas'' on Eagle Rock Entertainment, a new (151 minutes) live album (on DVD/Blu-ray/2CD) of their concert on 21 March 2016 at
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...
in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the
Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...
in
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. In early January 2019, Santana signed with
Concord Records Concord Records is an American record label owned by Concord and based in Los Angeles, California. Concord Records was launched in 1995 as an imprint designed to reach beyond the company's foundational Concord Jazz label. The label's artists ha ...
and on 25 January, they released '' In Search of Mona Lisa'', a new (5-track) EP. The day before, they also released a video for new single, "Do You Remember Me." In March 2019, the band announced plans to release on June 7, 2019, '' Africa Speaks'', their new full-length album produced by
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
. 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Carlos Santana's album ''Supernatural'' and the 50th anniversary of his performance at Woodstock. Santana headlined a multi-year residency at House of Blues. The band was expected to headline at both Woodstock 50 (which was cancelled) and Bethel Woods' half-centennial celebration in Bethel, NY, in August 2019. The band toured in support of the latest album, from April to November 2019.


2021-2024: ''Blessings and Miracles''

On 18 and 20 August 2021, "Move" and "She's Fire", the first and second singles taken from Santana's (then) forthcoming new album '' Blessings and Miracles'', were released, and it was announced that the album would be released on 15 October 2021 via BMG Entertainment.


2025-present: ''Sentient''

On 21 February 2025, it was announced the upcoming release (via Candid Records) of ''Sentient'', Santana's new studio album, a retrospective of 11 tracks featuring collaborations with other artists such as
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
,
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...
,
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
, Paolo Rustichelli, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and Cindy Blackman Santana, including "Whatever Happens" (a track from Michael Jackson's last album, '' Invincible''), remastered tracks such as "Let the Guitar Play" (a re-work of "Song for Cindy" from ''Blessings and Miracles'' featuring Darryl "DMC" McDaniels) or Grammy Awards winner "Blues for Salvador"... and 3 new tracks: Smokey Robinson's "Please Don't Take Your Love", "Coherence" (a track featuring Cindy Blackman Santana) and an instrumental live version of Michael Jackson's " Stranger in Moscow" recorded in 2012 with Carlos as guest of
Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...
's band. The album would be on 28 March 2025.


Personnel

Santana has had various recording and performing lineups in its history, with Santana being the only consistent member.


Current members

The members of Santana are:


Classic lineup

In addition to Carlos Santana, the band's classic lineup of the band's early success included the following members. It was this lineup that was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1998.


Discography

* ''
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
'' (1969) * '' Abraxas'' (1970) * '' Santana III'' (1971) * ''
Caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
'' (1972) * '' Welcome'' (1973) * '' Borboletta'' (1974) * '' Amigos'' (1976) * '' Festivál'' (1977) * '' Moonflower'' (1977) * '' Inner Secrets'' (1978) * ''
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
'' (1979) * '' Zebop!'' (1981) * '' Shangó'' (1982) * '' Beyond Appearances'' (1985) * ''
Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
'' (1987) * '' Spirits Dancing in the Flesh'' (1990) * '' Milagro'' (1992) * ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' (1999) * ''
Shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
'' (2002) * '' All That I Am'' (2005) * '' Guitar Heaven'' (2010) * ''
Shape Shifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...
'' (2012) * '' Corazón'' (2014) * ''
Santana IV ''Santana IV'' is the twenty-fourth studio album (and the thirty-eighth album overall) by American rock band Santana, released in April 2016. Overview The album reunited most of the surviving members from the early 1970s lineup of the band (i ...
'' (2016) * '' Africa Speaks'' (2019) * '' Blessings and Miracles'' (2021) * '' Sentient'' (2025)


Awards and nominations

Santana has won numerous awards, including eight
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
and three
Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...
. The band was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1998; three of Santana's albums have been inducted the
Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
('' Abraxas'' in 1999, the original ''
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
'' in 2012, and ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' in 2025); and one song has been inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame ("
Oye Como Va Oye is Spanish for "hey" or "listen". Oye or Oye! or OYE may refer to: Geography *Oye, Ekiti, a town and LGA in Ekiti State. *Oye-Plage, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Oyes, a commune in Marne, France People *Kenneth A. Oye, an American pol ...
" in 2001).


References

Sources *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santana American acid rock music groups 1966 establishments in California APRA Award winners Columbia Records artists Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Award winners Latin music groups Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups from San Francisco Psychedelic rock music groups from California World Music Awards winners American blues rock musical groups Jam bands Musical nonets Spanish-language musical groups of the United States