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VLMIL Candidate #11: Carlos Santana

16:44 H | Topics: Celebrities - Music - Polls2006 - VivirLatino

Name: Carlos Augusto Alves Santana

Age: 59

Occupation: Musician

Place of Residence: Marin County, California

Bio: From Wikipedia: "Santana was born to Jose Santana and Josefina Barragan in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico, and has two brothers – Antonio and Jorge – and four sisters – Laura, Irma, Leticia, and Maria. Carlos' father played the violin,and was a part of a mariachi troupe. Young Carlos continued the family's musical heritage, originally learning the violin before switching to the guitar when he was eight years old. After a family move to Tijuana Carlos performed occasionally with his fathers mariachi group on violin but grew to dislike it. Santana later played bass and guitar in strip clubs and bars in the Tijuana area and began his love of the American Blues, R&B, and Rock & Roll of B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Chuck Berry and Ray Charles. He was particularly impressed with a local blues guitar player, Javier Batiz. He remained in Tijuana when his family moved to San Francisco, California, but joined them at the age of thirteen."

From there Santana got heavily involved in the local music scene and formed Santana Blues Band (later just Santana) and experimented with the use of Latin rhythms in their rocks compositions. This mix of Latin percussion and rock guitar proved to be Santana's ticket to fame. Since then Carlos has been going strong with hits throughout the decades.

Why he's loved: For his talent on the guitar above all, for coming from the barrio of The Mission in San Francisco and never forgetting his roots, for holding Mexico's up high, for being married to the same woman for the past 33 years, for supporting the cause of unpriveleged children through his foundation.

Why he's hated: Some say all of his music sounds the same. Some think he's a cad because he cheated on his wife while on tours.

Why he's influential: He's one of (if not THE) greatest guitarist in the history of rock, and he's Latino. He became a role model when there were no Latino rock stars, and made the music industry sit up and take notice of Latin music. Years pass, his stardom doesn't fade but grows. Santana is a bonafide musical legend.

VOTE for Carlos Santana as VL's Most Influential Latino 2006.

Related

• Carlos Slim's CompUSA folds (Monday, Dec 10 2007)
• This week in "Por qué no te callas?" (Monday, Nov 26 2007)