Regardless of your taste in music, chances are that Carlos Santana songs have popped up on your playlist more than once. Not many artists can boast the same fact. That’s because the music of Carlos Santana has crossed several decades and many genres. Add Santana to the list of musicians you can enjoy with your parents and your kids. Carlos Santana (and his band) has been a fixture in the music scene since the late 1960s, and for good reason. His blend of Latin rhythm with psychedelic rock, blues and pop has produced some of the biggest and best hits in history. And let’s not forget about the epic covers and collaborations.
Beyond that, Carlos Santana has had an amazing career that spans beyond music. In his new memoir, The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light, Santana shares his experiences from playing at strip bars in Tijuana to playing at Woodstock to winning Grammy awards and more. It’s unusual for an artist to be so successful for so long. When asked why he’s survived where other artists have failed, he explains: “Some people self-destruct from within by continuing to do the wrong substances or make the wrong choices. If something I do is going to be hurtful to myself or others, I’m going to stop.” Here are 15 more reasons why we will always adore Santana.
1. Black Magic Woman
Black Magic Woman, one of our favorite Carlos Santana songs, was released in 1970, and while most people know it to be one of Santana’s biggest and most classic hits, it was actually originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac. The Fleetwood Mac version hit #37 on the UK charts, but the Santana version climbed to #4 on the U.S. charts.
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