Santana

In San Fransico,1966, Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana decided to form the band Santana. The American rock group has undergone various line-ups since that moment, with Santana being the only consistent member. 

After signing with Columbia Records, the band emerged at the peak of the infamous Woodstock Festival in 1969, increasing their music profile. They went on to record the commercially and critically successful albums ‘Santana’ (1969), ‘Abraxas’ (1970), and ‘Santana III’ (1971). These spawned the well-known songs ‘Evil Ways’, ‘Black Magic Woman’, ‘Oye Como Va’, and the instrumental ‘Samba Pa Ti’.  

In 1972, the band (following a line-up change) shifted musical direction, experimenting with elements of jazz fusion on ‘Caravanserai’ (1972), ‘Welcome’ (1973), and ‘Borboletta’ (1974). Santana reached a new level of success with their eighteenth album ‘Supernatural’ (1999), which included the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles ‘Smooth’ and ‘Maria Maria’. The album sold 15 million copies in the US and dominated the charts in eleven countries.  

In 2014, the ‘original’ members reunited for ‘Santana IV’ (2016) and continue to perform globally and record. With 26 studio albums under their belt (14 of which reached the US Top 10), Santana has sold over 47 million records in the US and an estimated 100 million worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Fame in 1998.  

To get information on upcoming Santana tour dates and concert tickets, you can visit the official website.