LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-JULY 20, 2019…HAPPY 72ND BIRTHDAY TO THE BAY AREA’S CARLOS SANTANA. SANTANA MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO WHEN HIS FAMILY RELOCATED FROM TIJUANA. THINGS WERE TOUGH WHEN HE FIRST MOVED HERE. BETWEEN THE AGES OF 10-12 HE WAS SEXUALLY MOLESTED BY AN AMERICAN MAN WHO BROUGHT HIM ACROSS THE BORDER. CARLOS AND HIS FAMILY LIVED IN THE MISSION DISTRICT, GRADUATED FROM JAMES LICK MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND IN 1965 FROM MISSION HIGH SCHOOL.
BY 1966 HE FORMED THE SANTANA BLUES BAND WITH GREGG ROLIE.
BY 1969 THEY WERE KNOWN SIMPLY AS ‘SANTANA’ AND HAD SIGNED A MAJOR RECORD CONTRACT.
PROMOTER BILL GRAHAM WAS A FAN AND ARRANGED FOR THE GROUP TO APPEAR AT WOODSTOCK BEFORE THE DEBUT ALBUM WAS EVEN RELEASED. SANTANA’S PERFORMANCE WAS ONE OF THE GREAT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FESTIVAL AND IT WAS INCLUDED ON ‘WOODSTOCK’ FILM THE SOUNDTRACK.
GRAHAM ALSO INSISTED SANTANA RECORD THE SONG ‘EVIL WAYS’ PREDICTING IT WOULD GET AIRPLAY. SANTANA’S DEBUT ALBUM WAS A HUGE HIT, REACHING #4 ON THE U.S. CHARTS IN 1969.
HIS CAREER HAS SPANNED OVER FIFTY YEARS. “ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE” LISTED CARLOS AS # 20 ON THEIR LIST OF THE “100 GREATEST GUITARISTS.”
HE’S ALSO WON 10 GRAMMY AWARDS AND 3 LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS.
HAPPY 72ND BIRTHDAY TO BAY AREA ROCK LEGEND CARLOS SANTANA.
HERE’S SANTANA AT WOODSTOCK WITH A YOUNG GREGG ROLIE ON LEAD VOCALS AND KEYBOARDS
THIS IS VINTAGE SANTANA
AND I LOVE THIS SONG…SANTANA WITH ROB THOMAS
photo thanks-Eva Rinaldi
