The origins of SANTANA lie in a chance meeting in San Francisco between Carlos Santana and keyboardist Gregg Rolie in 1966. Towards the end of that year the two musicians formed the Santana Blues Band together with Tim Frazer on guitar, Gus Rodrigues on bass, Rod Harper on drums and Michael Carabello on congas. Carabello provided the third element in what was, in barely three years, to become the band SANTANA.
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947) is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American Latin rock musician and guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which created a highly successful blend of salsa, rock, blues, and jazz fusion.
In 1972 Santana became a huge fan of the pioneering fusion band The Mahavishnu Orchestra and its guitarist John McLaughlin. Aware of Santana's interest in meditation, McLaughlin introduced Santana and Deborah to his guru, Sri Chinmoy.
In August 2003, Santana was named fifteenth on Rolling Stone magazine's "List of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In 2004, the magazine ranked him 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time
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