Santana

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Santana

The group formed in the Latin District of San Francisco. They are named after group leader Carlos Santana, and were originally known as the Santana Blues Band.
It's one of the few groups named after a guitarist in the band (The J. Geils Band is another).
They appeared at both the original and second Woodstock. Carlos was having a mescaline experience at the original Woodstock: "I was praying to God to keep me in time and in tune."
Carlos launched a line of shoes at J.C. Penny in 2000. He did not design them, but they were supposed to be inspired by his music. Proceeds go to children's charities.
When Neal Schon entered the group, there was some controversy because he was white. Carlos Santana wanted to try a 2-guitar sound, and thought he was a great player, even though he didn't have Latin heritage. Schon and Rolie formed Journey when they left the group.
When the band had some hits and became a popular live draw, some of the members started using drugs, and Carlos thought they were getting lazy at their shows. He briefly left the band, but rejoined them later on tour.
Carlos Santana had a huge resurgence when his 1999 album Supernatural was released. Pairing Carlos with popular young singers like Rob Thomas, Everlast and Dave Matthews was a winning combination, and made Santana relevant to a whole new generation. The album was the big winner at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
Some of Santana's early hits were new arrangements or adaptations of other artists' material: "Jingo" from Babatunde Olatunji, Willie Bobo's "Evil Ways," Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va," and Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman" (a big UK single for the late '60s Fleetwood Mac).
In addition to being husband and wife for 34 years, Carlos Santana and his wife, Deborah, have also owned businesses and started a children's charity, the Milagro Foundation, together. In late 2007, Deborah filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences."