Santana
at Woodstock 1969
Carlos Santana's electrifying performance of "Soul Sacrifice" at Woodstock made the band internationally famous overnight.
Santana — Woodstock 1969
Carlos Santana was born in Autlán, Jalisco, Mexico in 1947, and moved to San Francisco in 1961. His band Santana was managed by legendary promoter Bill Graham, which helped them land a spot at Woodstock despite not yet having released a debut album.
The Santana band's performance at Woodstock 1969 was one of the most electrifying moments of the entire festival. Their Afro-Cuban rhythms mixed with psychedelic rock created a sound unlike anything else on the Woodstock stage. The 11-minute instrumental "Soul Sacrifice" was captured on film and included in the Woodstock documentary, exposing the band to a worldwide audience.
Carlos Santana has stated that before going onstage, he consumed mescaline, and the experience of playing before 400,000 people while hallucinating was one he would never forget. Despite this, — or perhaps because of it — his guitar work on "Soul Sacrifice" remains one of the most technically impressive performances in rock history.
After Woodstock, the band's debut album "Santana" was released and went on to go platinum multiple times. Throughout the 1970s, Santana continued to release successful albums blending rock, jazz, and Latin music. Their commercial peak came with the 1999 Grammy-winning album "Supernatural," featuring the #1 hit "Smooth" with Rob Thomas, which introduced Santana to a new generation of fans.
Carlos Santana has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is considered one of the greatest guitarists in history.