Carlos Santana Top Songs and Albums

Latin rock legend and guitarist Carlos Santana was born on July 20, 1947, in Autlán de Navarro in the state of Jalisco, located in west-central Mexico. His father was a mariachi musician who taught Carlos music from a young age, starting with violin and then later guitar. In Carlos’s youth, the family moved to Tijuana and eventually to the United States, settling in San Francisco.

From an early age, Carlos was inspired by the rock bands and guitarists of North America’s nascent rock ’n’ roll scene. From Tijuana influences to the Chicano rock music of Ritchie Valens to the blues mastery of John Lee Hooker and B.B. King, Carlos quickly found music he personally bonded with. But it was San Francisco, and its thriving blues and jam scenes, that would give Carlos his launchpad.

Carlos has spent the past five decades deeply immersed in music and has released dozens of recorded albums. He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.

To get you started on your Santana listening journey, here are some essentials he recorded with the band, solo, and as collaborations with others:

1. Santana (1969). Carlos upended the San Francisco jam scene with his band’s debut recording. Whereas established SF rock improvisers like the Grateful Dead had drawn heavily from folk and country, Santana introduced Latin, European, and Indian influences to the mix, creating a sound that was uniquely their own. The album includes the instrumental song “Soul Sacrifice,” which the group played at the 1969 Woodstock festival.

2. Abraxas (1970). One year after their recorded debut, Santana became stars with this record. It features two of the band’s all-time classics, “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” (a mash-up of original songs by Peter Green and Gábor Szabó) and “Oye Como Va” by the acclaimed Tito Puente. Abraxas is the record that defined Santana for a generation.

3. Santana III (1971). The follow up to Abraxas, Santana III was critically acclaimed and reached #1 on the charts. The album also introduced 17-year-old guitarist Neal Schon, who would later go on to form the band Journey, and it includes hits like “No One to Depend On,” and

4. Caravanserai (1972). Continuing their streak, Santana released their fourth album in as many years. This one pushed deeper into jazz fusion rather than the hits of the earlier recordings. After parting ways with the original line up, the new band took more risks, and was accordingly rewarded. Clive Davis called the album “career suicide,” but Caravanserai remains an important work, and a favorite amongst Santana fans.

5. Love Devotion Surrender (1973). This record is notable because it pairs Carlos with English guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin. Like Carlos, McLaughlin is a deeply spiritual individual—famous for blending slow, meditative breathing with speed-of-light guitar shredding.

6. Lotus (1974). A band like Santana is made to be heard live, and this two-disc set, recorded live in Japan, opens that door. It’s the next best thing to being there in person.

7. Zebop! (1981). The 1980s saw some bands abandon their core sound for a wall of synthesizers, but Santana held true to the Latin music-tinged rock that had made them famous. The record features the hit single “Winning,” originally by the British singer Russ Ballard.

8. Supernatural (1999). Although Carlos broke out in the 1970s, his commercial peak actually came with this 1999 record of all-star tracks, which was eventually certified Diamond by the RIAA (meaning it sold over 15 million copies). Billboard ranked the single “Smooth,” with Rob Thomas on vocals and Carlos on lead guitar, as the second most successful song of all time, behind Chubby Checker’s “The Twist.”

9. The Power of Peace (2017). Carlos continues to produce vital music up through the present day, and 2017’s The Power of Peace is one such example. Recorded in collaboration with The Isley Brothers, the record is an incredible journey through some of the immortal soul, funk, blues, rock, jazz, and pop songs that inspired these groundbreaking artists.

According to Billboard charts, the top 10 Carlos Santana songs are:

1. 1. “Smooth” from Supernatural
2. 2. “Maria Maria” from Supernatural
3. 3. “Black Magic Woman” from Abraxas
4. 4. “The Game of Love” from Shaman
5. 5. “Why Don’t You & I” from Shaman
6. 6. “Evil Ways” from Santana
7. 7. “Everybody’s Everything” from Santana III
8. 8. “Oye Como Va” from Abraxas
9. 9. “Hold On” from Shangó
10. 10. “Winning” from Zebop!

• Love Devotion Surrender (1973)
• Illuminations (1974)
• Oneness — Silver Dreams Golden Reality (1979)
• The Swing of Delight (1980)
• Havana Moon (1983)
• Blues for Salvador (1987)
• Santana Brothers (1994)

The full Santana discography is below.

• Santana (1969)
• Abraxas (1970)
• Santana III/Man With an Outstretched Hand (1971)
• Caravanserai (1972)
• Welcome (1973)
• Borboletta (1974)
• Amigos (1976)
• Festivál (1977)
• Moonflower (1977)
• Inner Secrets (1978)
• Marathon (1979)
• Zebop! (1981)
• Shangó (1982)
• Beyond Appearances (1985)
• Freedom (1987)
• Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
• Milagro (1992)
• Supernatural (1999)
• Shaman (2002)
• All That I Am (2005)
• Guitar Heaven (2010)
• Shape Shifter (2012)
• Corazón (2014)
• Santana IV (2016)

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