Carlos Santana has established himself as one of the world’s most iconic guitarists over the last five decades and more with his signature sound that transcends the boundaries of genre, culture, and geography. 

His star started rising in the late sixties when he formed the Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit ‘Santana’ and he has since sold more than 100 million records, and performed for more than 100 million people through his regular concerts, winning 10 Grammy awards.

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Let’s take a look at his life and unearth 5 interesting tidbits-

His first instrument was the violin

Carlos Santana’s first steps into the world of music were not with the guitar- the instrument he is synonymous with. Rather, it was the violin that young Carlos started learning at the age of 5. It was his father who was the inspiration for this- being a professional violinist himself. It wasn’t until he turned 8 that he picked up the guitar and started what would be a long musical journey with the instrument! Who taught him the guitar? His father, of course!

Santana is a massive bookworm

Carlos Santana is a voracious reader. In fact, on his official website, he has even added a virtual ‘bookshelf’ where he recommends some of the top books that he has read himself to his fans. 

Currently, some of the books that he has on his bookshelf are The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz, End your story begin your life by Jim Dreaver, The Body of Light by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, A Course in Miracles by Foundation for Inner Peace, and The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle. 

Clearly, Carlos is a seeker and his taste in books sure reflects that.

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He worked as a dishwasher during his struggling years

Fame didn’t come to Santana immediately, and so to make end meets, Carlos really had to dig his heels in and work hard. This is when he worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher, and also went busking- playing on the streets to earn tips from passers by. It wasn’t until. Woodstock 1969 that Santana’s star began to rise- and how! 

He was accepted to multiple universities

Santana had the chance to pursue his higher education after getting acceptance letters from universities like Humboldt State and California State University, Northridge, but he ultimately opted to turn them down. The pull of music was too strong for him and he chose to pursue a career in music instead! 

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Santana married his touring drummer

Carlos Santana is married to his longtime touring drummer Cindy Blackman. He proposed to her in 2010, in dramatic circumstances- during a concert after she had just wrapped up a drum solo, Carlos popped up the question, and the rest, as they say, is history! 

He owns a restaurant chain, and has a signature guitar

Carlos owns a chain of restaurants called Maria Maria that serves some spicy flavourful Mexican food! The chain is named after the song with the same name from his album Supernatural. The restaurants are spread in across San Francisco, Texas, and Arizona,

He further has his own signature guitar with globally recognised brand Paul Reed Smith (PRS).