Rock, jazz, blues, and salsa make up the Santana sound. The sound of the legendary Mexican-born guitar virtuoso who took Woodstock by storm in 1969, and who was making “world music” years before the term became relevant and commonplace. Most rock artists who have survived the 1960s have either gotten better, worse, or reinvented themselves in some way, but Santana will always be Santana. Not that the band has been entirely the same over all of these years; Santana has had more than two dozen lineups, with some fans insistent that the first, most rocking version from the late 1960s was the best. Regardless, leader Carlos Santana has never lost his fire, and the signature sound of his guitar howling over the organ and congas remains dominant. Whether Carlos is playing rock, jazz, Latin, or funk, he is still playing Santana music.

Born in Autlan, Mexico, Carlos Santana was influenced by the traditional music of his native country from a very early age, and his unique fusion of Latin music and rock-and-roll eventually led to fourteen gold, and nine platinum, albums. As a child, Santana’s father, an accomplished mariachi violinist, instructed him in music before the family moved to Tijuana, where Carlos took up the guitar in 1955. In 1961, Santana relocated to San Francisco, joining his family who had gone a year earlier, and where Carlos found himself immersed in an exciting climate of political, cultural, and artistic changes.

1966 brought the debut performance of the Santana Blues Band who, after an unbelievably rapid rise, found themselves playing at the legendary Woodstock festival by 1969. In the same year their first album, Santana, was released; going double platinum, but almost immediately surpassed by the next, Abraxas, which went quadruple platinum in 1970!

Carlos Santana’s achievements are as varied as his musical influences; he wrote the score for the film La Bamba, and in 1987 took part in the Rock’n’Roll Summit - the first ever joint U.S. and Soviet rock concert. He also supports numerous civic and humanitarian causes, such as Blues for Salvador, San Francisco Earthquake Relief, and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

For years, Santana was continually releasing music – usually an album every year, either under the band's name or his own, although the two are pretty much interchangeable. Ultimately, Santana’s reputation has hinged on his live shows, where there was still an emphasis on improvisation, and also a safe bet that he would hit upon something brilliant. If nothing else, Carlos Santana deserves credit as one of the few "classic rock" performers who is not satisfied to go onstage and simply play the oldies.

In 1999, however, everything changed when Santana made a dramatic comeback with the album Supernatural, driven by hit single Smooth, which was a collaborative project with Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas providing vocals in addition to taking co-writer credits as well. The album spent multiple weeks atop the charts, going platinum 25 times over worldwide, and earning Santana a record nine Grammy awards!

Supernatural's long-awaited follow-up, Shaman, came out in late 2002. Like Supernatural – which featured appearances by Everlast, Wyclef Jean, and Dave Matthews – the new album featured many big-name, modern-day collaborators such as Michelle Branch on the CD's first single Game of Love, P.O.D, Ozomatli, Macy Gray, Musiq, and Dido.

The Santana Band was the first group to receive the CBS Records Crystal Globe Award, for international album sales in excess of five million, and in 2000 Santana collected eight Grammy awards, with the song Smooth winning both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and the album Supernatural picking up the prize for Album of the Year.

Santana’s success and popularity has spanned over four decades, which should be proof enough that people of all ages find something to like about this act. Whether you have been following him for years or just looking for something new and exciting, get your Santana tickets right away and experience what it is like to hear a true legend at work.