is a Mexican and American musician who first became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band,
Santana,
which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin American music. The band's
sound featured his melodic, blues-based guitar lines set against Latin
and African rhythms featuring percussion instruments such as
timbales and
congas
not generally heard in rock music. Santana continued to work in these
forms over the following decades. He experienced a resurgence of
popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2003
Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 15
[2] on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
[3] He has won 10
Grammy Awards and three
Latin Grammy Awards.
[4]
Carlos Santana was born in
Autlán de Navarro,
Jalisco, Mexico. He learned to play the violin at age five and the guitar at age eight. His younger brother,
Jorge Santana, would also become a professional guitarist. Young Carlos was heavily influenced by
Ritchie Valens at a time when there were very few Latinos in American rock and pop music. The family moved from Autlán de Navarro to
Tijuana,
the city on Mexico's border with California, and then San Francisco.
Carlos stayed in Tijuana but later joined his family in San Francisco,
graduating from James Lick Middle School, and in 1965 from
Mission High School. Carlos was accepted at
California State University, Northridge, and
Humboldt State University, but chose not to attend college.
