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Carlos Santana: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is Carlos Santana? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team4 min read✓ Fact-checked
Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana.jpg: Jaud derivative work: Yarl via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos umˈbeɾto sanˈtana βaraˈɣan] ; born July 20, 1947) is a Mexican and American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States with Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured his melodic, blues-based lines set against Latin American and African rhythms played on percussion instruments not generally heard in rock, such as timbales and congas. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at No. 20 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists. In 2023, Rolling Stone named him the 11th greatest guitarist of all time. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, and was inducted along with his namesake band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Quick facts about Carlos Santana

  • Full name: Carlos Santana
  • Born: 1947-07-20
  • Nationality: United States
  • Known as: Musician
  • Wikidata ID: Q819016

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Carlos Santana?

Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos umˈbeɾto sanˈtana βaraˈɣan] ; born July 20, 1947) is a Mexican and American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana.

What nationality is Carlos Santana?

Carlos Santana is United States.

When was Carlos Santana born?

Carlos Santana was born on 1947-07-20.

Sources

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