Santana

Santana is a US Latin, blues and rock band from San Francisco, formed in 1966 by Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana. The group works across blues rock, classic rock, hard rock, jazz, jazz fusion and jazz rock, and is issued on Petra Music. Carlos Santana remains the only consistent member, and the band goes through many changes in its recording and live line-ups over time.

Early success and classic line-up

The band gains wider attention after its performance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Its classic early line-up includes Gregg Rolie on organ and lead vocals, José “Chepito” Áreas and Michael Carabello on percussion, Michael Shrieve on drums and David Brown on bass. During this period, Santana releases Santana, Abraxas and Santana III, and songs such as “Evil Ways”, “Black Magic Woman”, “Oye Como Va” and the instrumental “Samba Pa Ti” become closely associated with the group.

Stylistic changes and later albums

After a line-up change in 1972, Santana moves towards jazz fusion and spiritual themes on albums such as Caravanserai, Welcome and Borboletta. The group later continues with a long list of studio albums including Amigos, Festival, Moonflower, Inner Secrets, Marathon, The Swing Of Delight, Zebop!, Shango, Beyond Appearances, Freedom, Spirits Dancing in the Flesh, Milagro, Supernatural, Shaman, All That I Am, Guitar Heaven, Shape Shifter, Corazon, Santana IV, Africa Speaks, Blessings and Miracles and Sentient.

Supernatural and awards

Supernatural becomes a major commercial comeback in 1999. It features the crossover singles “Smooth”, with Rob Thomas, and “Maria Maria”, with The Product G&B, both of which reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album tops charts in eleven countries, sells more than 12 million copies in the United States, and wins nine Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year, plus three Latin Grammy Awards. Santana is one of the best-selling music groups of all time, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide and a total of 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards.

Reunions, honours and recent activity

In 1998, the classic line-up of Santana, Rolie, Carabello, Shrieve, Brown and Áreas is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2014, the classic line-up, minus Brown and Áreas, reunites and records Santana IV, with a supporting tour. The group also maintains a long-running Las Vegas residency, An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live, at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino since 2012.

Carlos Santana receives the Billboard Century Award in 1996, the Billboard Latin Music Awards Lifetime Achievement honour and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013. Rolling Stone ranks him number 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and the Recording Academy awards him a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026.

Later releases include Africa Speaks in 2019, produced by Rick Rubin and described as afrobeat-influenced, and Blessings and Miracles in 2021, which features Rob Thomas, Chris Stapleton and Steve Winwood. Sentient appears in 2025 as a retrospective collection with 11 tracks, including three previously unreleased recordings, and collaborations with Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Cindy Blackman Santana.