Born on July 20: Carlos Santana, Father of Latin Rock

He was born in 1947 in Autlán de Navarro, in the state of Jalisco (Mexico), but now that he has obtained U.S. citizenship, he should no longer have to worry about Trump sending him back to the border!

Carlos Santana moved with his family to Los Angeles at a very young age—a city that has long been home to a large Mexican immigrant community. Since the late 1960s, the guitarist, composer, and occasional singer has been at the helm of the band Santana. Since their self-titled debut album in 1969, his music has been labeled with many genres, ranging from jazz fusion to psychedelic rock. The labels “Latin rock” and “Chicano rock” are undoubtedly the ones that suit him best, even though, in recent years, he hasn’t hesitated to occasionally collaborate with hip-hop artists.

Introduced to music at a very young age by his father, a mariachi musician, Carlos first learned to play the violin before turning to the guitar at the age of eight. It would become his one true love. After a stint in Tijuana, he joined his family in San Francisco, where he immersed himself in the musical trends of the time—such as blues, rock, and jazz—while infusing them with Latin American rhythms, notably salsa and lush percussion.

In 1966, he founded the Santana Blues Band, which would later be known simply as Santana. Like Joe Cocker, the legendary 1969 Woodstock Festival revealed the full extent of his talent, particularly with a memorable instrumental rendition of “Soul Sacrifice” that stretched on for over a dozen minutes.

Throughout the 1970s, Santana enjoyed a string of hits with songs like “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Come Va,” then evolved toward a more jazzy and experimental sound. The 1990s marked a return to the forefront thanks to the album “Supernatural” (1999), which won nine Grammy Awards.

Recognized as a pioneer of Latin rock, Carlos Santana has influenced several generations of musicians with his instantly recognizable guitar style. His openness to often unexpected collaborations and his ability to fuse styles considered incompatible are also his hallmarks. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, Santana continues to release new albums on a regular basis. His most recent album, "Sentient", was released in 2025, although a track such as “Me Retiro,” recorded shortly before with Gruppo Frontera, certainly suggests the end of a career that has already spanned six decades.

Photo: Carlos Santana on stage at Forest-National in Brussels (Belgium) on October 31, 1981