1966–1972: Formation and breakthrough

In 1966, Santana left Mexico for San Francisco, where he discovered the hippie and counterculture movement and found himself "wanting to be part of this new wave."^[14] Later that year, he began to assemble his own band, the first line-up of which included Sergio "Gus" Rodriguez on bass, Danny Haro on drums, and Michael Carabello on percussion. In January 1967, the four were granted an audition spot for concert promoter Bill Graham at the Fillmore Auditorium on a bill with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the Charles Lloyd Quartet, and named themselves the Santana Blues Band.^[15] Within a month, the group expanded with the addition of Tom Fraser on guitar and vocals, who also brought in Gregg Rolie on organ and vocals.^[14] The band stalled for several weeks, however, after Carlos was hospitalised with tuberculosis. In June 1967, Graham fired the group from performing at the Fillmore after some members turned up late for a gig supporting The Who and Loading Zone. The incident drove Carlos to bring in new and committed musicians, keeping Rolie with him.^[14] By the year's end, the band adopted the shorter name of Santana. Until early 1969, the band were joined by Marcus Malone on percussion, who left the group after being convicted of manslaughter.^[14]

In late 1968, the group secured a record deal with Columbia Records, following a successful audition opening for the Grateful Dead. The band had caught the interest of Columbia and Atlantic Records, and an audition was organised for both labels, but Carlos refused to perform for Atlantic as he wanted to be on the same label as Miles Davis and Bob Dylan.^[16] In December, Santana performed a series of concerts at the Fillmore that were recorded for a proposed live album. Biographer Simon Leng said it marked Santana moving away from its blues and R&B roots towards the "Santana sound" with the addition of Afro-Cuban and jazz numbers into their sets.^[17] After several line-up changes, the group finally stabilised in May 1969 with Santana, Rolie, Carabello, David Brown on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Jose "Chepito" Areas on percussion, which became known as the "classic" line-up.^[18]

Santana rose to prominence following their appearance at Woodstock

The band recorded their debut album, Santana, in San Francisco in May 1969. It was their third go at recording an album, after previous attempts failed to produce results they wanted. The sessions featured Alberto Gianquinto on piano, who also helped with the arrangements of the tracks. He quickly noticed the group's main problem: the solo spots were too long.^[19] Graham agreed, and advised that the band needed to cut the lengthy jams and begin constructing songs. He also got the band to listen to Willie Bobo's version of "Evil Ways", and suggested they record their own version.^[19] With the album recorded, Graham arranged for Santana to tour the Midwest as openers for Crosby, Stills and Nash, which expanded the group's profile outside the West Coast.^[20] Around this time, Graham had been asked to help organise the upcoming Woodstock Festival, agreed to promote it on the condition that Santana would be added to the bill. Graham persisted, and the band were assigned a 45-minute set in the afternoon of August 16, the second day, for $2,500.^[21] The performance launched the group to international fame, and Santana, released on August 30, peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard 200. The first single, "Jingo", was followed by "Evil Ways", which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In October 1969, Graham had Santana perform at the Gold Rush rock music festival and on The Ed Sullivan Show, further increasing the group's nationwide exposure.^[20][22]

In April 1970, Santana returned to the studio to record its second album, Abraxas.^[23] The album, highlighted by a reworking of "Black Magic Woman" by Fleetwood Mac that peaked at No. 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100, was released in September 1970 and rose to number 1 on the US Billboard 200.

By 1971, the group were still struggling to maintain a strong musical direction.^[18] From January to July they recorded Santana III. Released in September 1971, the album also reached number 1 on the US Billboard 200. At the peak of the band's popularity, the album was the last to feature its classic Woodstock era line-up. Santana explained that there was a lot of unnecessary internal resentment and that managerial problems contributed to the problem, leading to Graham's dismissal.^[18] That year, they performed at a concert in Accra to commemorate Ghana's 14th Independence Day. The concert was filmed and released in theaters as Soul to Soul.^[24] Matters came to a head shortly before the Santana III tour in September 1971 began, when Carlos wanted Carabello to leave the group, otherwise he would. The band started the tour without Carlos, performing amidst shouts from the audience for the guitarist. After several gigs, Carlos reunited with the band to find Carabello, Areas, and manager/promoter Stan Marcum had quit, leaving the band to perform without percussionists. James "Mingo" Lewis was quickly brought in as a temporary replacement after he saw the band live and offered his services.^[25] Santana's gig in Lima, Peru in December 1971 brought further trouble, as the outbreak of violence resulted in their equipment being confiscated and the band deported from the country. The incident was a wake up call for Carlos, who was determined to "bring the madness to an end."^[25]

In 1972, Santana had been increasingly influenced by the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Joe Zawinul, who had explored jazz fusion by this time.^[18] The fourth album, Caravanserai (1972), marked a number of line-up changes; bassist David Brown left in 1971 before recording started and was replaced by Doug Rauch and Tom Rutley. Carabello was replaced with two percussionists, Armando Peraza and Mingo Lewis. Rolie was replaced by Tom Coster on a few songs. Caravanserai debuted at number 8 in the US.

1973–1979: Experimentation and consolidation

Carlos Santana in 1973

13 months after Caravanserai, Santana released Welcome. Welcome was the first of four consecutive albums to achieve gold certification, as opposed to the previous four, which all at least reached platinum status. The album peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200, the lowest of the band's career so far. The next few albums contained a more experimental style than their previous work, beginning with Borboletta, which fared arguably worse than its predecessor, despite climbing five spots higher on the Billboard album charts in the US.

The group's 1976 release, Amigos, was far more successful. Reaching number 10 on the US charts, and also hitting the top 10 in France, Australia, New Zealand, Austria and the Netherlands, it was a return to the success of their early albums. Festival, did not obtain the same new-found success, but was followed by another successful album, Moonflower, released in 1977. The album was possibly the most successful since Santana III, achieving 2× platinum in the US, and being the first album since 1974's Borboletta, to break the top 10 in the UK. It was characterized by a stylistic shift for the band, as it contained heavier influences from the more conventional sound of the group's early work, while still maintaining the experimental sound of their last few albums.

Their next two releases, Inner Secrets and Marathon, released in 1978 and '79, respectively, were a further musical shift for the band, moving away from the Latin-fused rock music that had characterized their work in the late 1960s and the majority of the '70s, to move towards a more album-oriented, conventional rock sound. These albums, however, fared poorly commercially, although both achieved gold status in the US.

1980–1997: Commercial decline and seven-year hiatus

The 1980s started relatively brightly for Santana, with 1981's platinum-selling Zebop!, which also reached the top 20 in several countries, and continued the more conventional rock sound. The following year, Shangó was released; this album marked a steep decline in the band's commercial fortunes, although it still achieved gold status.

The group waited another three years to release the follow-up, the longest break for them so far. 1985's Beyond Appearances was a commercial failure, and their first album not to achieve gold certification. Their following three releases all continued this commercial decline, with the last of these failing to break the Billboard top 100. In the midst of this commercial pitfall, the band stopped recording material for an unprecedented seven years but continued to tour.

1998–2001: Supernatural and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 1998, Santana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The following year, their album Supernatural (1999) debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 after eighteen weeks. Also reaching No. 1 were two singles: "Smooth", recorded with Rob Thomas, and "Maria Maria" featuring The Product G&B. The album was certified platinum 15 times by the RIAA and sold 30 million copies worldwide. Santana's previous number one album had been Santana III in 1971. According to Guinness World Records, this is the longest gap between number one albums.

Supernatural won nine Grammy Awards, including the award for Album of the Year, and also won three Latin Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.

2002–2012: Dealing with new-found success

Santana performing in 2011

The follow-up to Supernatural came three years later and was highly anticipated by international media and fans alike. On October 22, 2002, Shaman was released worldwide. Although it initially sold briskly (298,973 copies in the US in its first week) and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, the album's appeal quickly wore off and it soon slid down the charts. Despite this, it went on to sell 2× platinum in the US, and achieved platinum status in several other countries including Australia. The first single released from the album, "The Game of Love", which featured vocals from Michelle Branch, debuted at number 5 on the Hot 100. The album's next four singles failed to chart in most countries, but the final single, "Why Don't You & I", featuring the vocals of Alex Band, reached number 8 on the Hot 100. Musically, the album was a return to a more conventional sound for the group, with a mainly Latin rock-based sound.

With their renewed appeal worn off, another three-year wait saw the release of 2005's All That I Am. The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 but fared worse internationally, and quickly lost appeal. The album, a continuation of the Latin-rock influenced sound of Shaman, achieved gold certification in the US. A five-year break from recording saw the release of another studio album, Guitar Heaven (2010). Musically it was a drastic change for the band, with a far heavier sound at its core and strong heavy metal influences. It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 but marked another decline for the band, failing to achieve gold status.

In 2012 the group released Shape Shifter, which returned to the conventional Latin rock sound and was completely album-oriented, as no singles were released from it. It debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200.

2013–present: Reunion of the classic line-up, Corazón, Santana IV, and Africa Speaks

On 2 February 2013, Carlos Santana confirmed that he would reunite his classic line-up, most of whom played Woodstock with him in 1969. Santana stated that he was reuniting the group with the intention of recording new music. Confirmed for the reunion were Neal Schon, who was in the band in the early 1970s where he traded lead guitar work with Santana before leaving with founding Santana singer-organist Gregg Rolie in 1973 to form Journey; drummer Mike Shrieve and percussionist Mike Carabello. Santana said of Rolie, who played with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band for the last two years, "I'm pretty sure Gregg's going to do it." In February 2013, Rolie told Radio.com, "it's (the reunion) just a matter of putting it together and going and doing it. I would do it. I think it's a great idea. People would love it. It could be great!"^[26]

In the meantime, on 6 May 2014 Santana released a new studio album entitled Corazón and on 9 September 2014, Corazón – Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It, a new live album (on CD, DVD and Blu-ray) of their show on 14 December 2013 in Guadalajara, Mexico.^[27]

On 15 April 2016, Santana released Santana IV, the wildly anticipated studio album that reunited the early 1970s classic lineup of Carlos Santana (guitar, vocals), Gregg Rolie (keyboards, lead vocals), Neal Schon (guitar, vocals), Michael Carabello (percussion) and Michael Shrieve (drums). The album marked the first time in 45 years – since 1971's multi-platinum classic Santana III – that the quintet had recorded together.^[28]

The origins for the reunion go back several years, when Schon suggested that he and Carlos Santana record together. Santana liked the idea but went one better, proposing that they recruit Rolie, Shrieve and Carabello for what would be called "Santana IV". After initial writing sessions and rehearsals took place in 2013, the group recorded throughout 2014 and 2015, amassing 16 new tracks that combined all their signature elements – Afro-Latin rhythms, soaring vocals, electrifying blues-psychedelic guitar solos, and irrepressible jubilant percussion work.

About the "Santana IV" team, Santana stated: "It was magical, we didn't have to try to force the vibe – it was immense. From there, we then needed to come up with a balance of songs and jams that people would immediately identify as Santana."^[29]

Santana IV features 16 all-new tracks written and produced by the band. Joining the core "Santana IV" band in the studio are current Santana members Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Benny Rietveld (bass), with vocalist Ronald Isley guesting on two cuts.

The first single from Santana IV, entitled "Anywhere You Want to Go", was released on 5 February 2016.^[30]

On 21 October 2016, Santana released Santana IV: Live at the House of Blues Las Vegas on Eagle Rock Entertainment, a new (151 minutes) live album (on DVD/Blu-ray/2CD) of their concert on 21 March 2016 at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada.

In early January 2019, Santana signed with Concord Records^[31] and on 25 January, they released In Search of Mona Lisa, a new (5-track) EP.^[32] The day before, they also released a video for new single, "Do You Remember Me."^[33] In March 2019, the band announced plans to release on June 7, 2019, Africa Speaks, their new full-length album produced by Rick Rubin.^[34]

2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Carlos Santana's album, Supernatural, and the 50th anniversary of his performance at Woodstock. Santana headlined a multi-year residency at House of Blues. The band was expected to headline at both Woodstock 50 (which was cancelled)^[35] and Bethel Woods' half-centennial celebration in Bethel, NY, in August 2019.^[36] The band toured in support of the latest album, from April to November 2019.^[37]

2021: Blessings and Miracles

On 18 and 20 August 2021, "Move" and "She's Fire", the first and second singles taken from Santana's (then) forthcoming new album Blessings and Miracles, were released, and it was announced that the album would be released on 15 October 2021 via BMG Entertainment.

Current members

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Carlos Santana	1966–present	lead guitar vocals percussion	all releases
	Benny Rietveld	1990–1992 1997–present	bass	Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990) Milagro (1992) all releases from Supernatural (1999) onwards, except Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997), The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007) and The Woodstock Experience (2009)
	Karl Perazzo	1991–present	percussion vocals	all releases from Milagro (1992) onwards, except Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997), The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007) and The Woodstock Experience (2009)
	Andy Vargas	2000–present	vocals percussion	all releases from All That I Am (2005) onwards, except The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007) and The Woodstock Experience (2009)
	Tommy Anthony	2005–present	rhythm guitar vocals	all releases from Guitar Heaven (2010) onwards
	David K. Mathews	2011–present	keyboards	all releases from Corazón (2014) onwards
	Paoli Mejías	2013–present	percussion	Corazón (2014) Corazón: Live From México - Live It To Believe It (2014)
	Cindy Blackman Santana	2015–present	drums	Corazón (2014) Corazón: Live From México - Live It To Believe It (2014) In Search of Mona Lisa (2019) Africa Speaks (2019)
	Ray Greene	2016–present	vocals percussion trombone	In Search of Mona Lisa (2019) Africa Speaks (2019)

Former members

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Gregg Rolie	1966-1972 2014–2016	organ piano keyboards lead vocals	all releases from Santana (1969) to Caravanserai (1972) Santana's Greatest Hits (1974) Shangó (1982) Freedom (1987) Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997) The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007) The Woodstock Experience (2009) Santana IV (2016) Santana IV: Live at the House of Blues, Las Vegas (2016)
	Tom Fraser	1966–1967	guitars	none
	Sergio "Gus" Rodriguez		bass
	Rod Harper		drums
	Michael Carabello	1966-1967 1968–1971 2014–2016	percussion additional keyboards vocals	Santana (1969) Abraxas (1970) Santana III (1971) Santana's Greatest Hits (1974) The Woodstock Experience (2009) Santana IV (2016) Santana IV: Live at the House of Blues, Las Vegas (2016)
	David Brown	1967–1971 1974–1976 (died 2000)	bass	Santana (1969) Abraxas (1970) Santana III (1971) Santana's Greatest Hits (1974) Borboletta (1974) Amigos (1976) Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997) The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007) The Woodstock Experience (2009)
	Marcus Malone	1967-1969 (died 2021)	percussion	Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997) The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007)
	Bob Livingston	1967–1969	drums
	José "Chepito" Areas	1969–1974 1976–1977 1988–1989	percussion drums trumpet	Santana (1969) Abraxas (1970) Santana III (1971) Caravanserai (1972) Welcome (1973) Lotus (1974) Santana's Greatest Hits (1974) Festivál (1977) Moonflower (1977) The Woodstock Experience (2009)
	Michael "Mike" Shrieve	1969–1974 2014–2016	drums percussion occasional vocals	all releases from Santana (1969) to Borboletta (1974) The Woodstock Experience (2009) Santana IV (2016) Santana IV: Live at the House of Blues, Las Vegas (2016)
	Neal Schon	1971–1972 2014–2016	lead and rhythm guitar vocals	Santana III (1971) Caravanserai (1972) Santana IV (2016) Santana IV: Live at the House of Blues, Las Vegas (2016)
	Tom Rutley	1971–1972	bass acoustic bass	Caravanserai (1972)
	Buddy Miles	1971 1972 1986 1987 (died 2008)	drums and percussion (1971, 1972) vocals and guitar (1986, 1987)	Freedom (1987)
	Pete Escovedo	1971 1977–1979	percussion	Moonflower (1977) Inner Secrets (1978)
	Coke Escovedo	1971–1972 (died 1986)		Santana III (1971) Santana's Greatest Hits (1974)
	Rico Reyes	1971–1972	percussion vocals	Abraxas (1970) Santana III (1971) Caravanserai (1972)
	Victor Pantoja	1971	percussion
	Armando Peraza	1972–1976 1977–1990 (died 2014)	percussion vocals	all releases from Caravanserai (1972) to Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
	Tom Coster	1972–1978 1983–1984	keyboards backing vocals	all releases from Caravanserai (1972) to Moonflower (1977) Freedom (1987)
	Richard Kermode	1972–1973 (died 1996)	keyboards	Welcome (1973) Lotus (1974)
	Doug Rauch	1972–1974 (died 1979)	bass guitar	Caravanserai (1972) Welcome (1973) Lotus (1974)
	James "Mingo" Lewis	1972–1973	percussion	Caravanserai (1972)
	Leon Thomas	1973 (died 1999)	vocals	Welcome (1973) Lotus (1974)
	Leon "Ndugu" Chancler	1974–1976 1988 (died 2018)	drums	Borboletta (1974) Amigos (1976)
	Leon Patillo	1974–1975 1976	vocals keyboards piano percussion	Borboletta (1974) Festivál (1977)
	Jules Broussard	1974–1975	saxophone	Welcome (1973) Borboletta (1974)
	Greg Walker	1975–1976 1976–1979 1983–1985	vocals	Amigos (1976) Moonflower (1977) Inner Secrets (1978) Beyond Appearances (1985)
	Raul Rekow	1976–2013 (died 2015)	percussion vocals	all releases from Festivál (1977) to Shape Shifter (2012), except Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997), The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007) and The Woodstock Experience (2009)
	Gaylord Birch	1976 1991 (died 1996)	drums percussion	Festivál (1977)
	Graham Lear	1976–1983 1985–1987	drums	Moonflower (1977) Inner Secrets (1978) Marathon (1979) Zebop! (1981) Shangó (1982)
	Luther Rabb	1976 (died 2006)	vocals
	Joel Badie	1976		Festivál (1977)
	Byron Miller		bass
	Pablo Tellez	1976–1977		Festivál (1977) Moonflower (1977)
	David Margen	1977–1982		Moonflower (1977) Inner Secrets (1978) Marathon (1979) Zebop! (1981) Shangó (1982)
	Chris Solberg	1978–1980	guitars keyboards vocals	Inner Secrets (1978) Zebop! (1981)
	Chris Rhyne	1978–1979	keyboards	Inner Secrets (1978)
	Russell Tubbs	1978	flute
	Alex Ligertwood	1979–1983 1984–1985 1987 1989–1991 1992–1994	vocals rhythm guitar	Marathon (1979) Zebop! (1981) Shangó (1982) Beyond Appearances (1985) Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990) Milagro (1992) Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993)
	Alan Pasqua	1979–1980	keyboards vocals	Marathon (1979) Zebop! (1981)
	Orestes Vilató	1980–1987	percussion vocals	Zebop! (1981) Shangó (1982) Beyond Appearances (1985) Freedom (1987) Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
	Richard Baker	1980–1982	keyboards	Zebop! (1981) Shangó (1982)
	Chester D. Thompson	1983–2009	keyboards arrangements vocals	all releases from Beyond Appearances (1985) to Shape Shifter (2012), except Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997), The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007), The Woodstock Experience (2009) and Guitar Heaven (2010)
	Keith Jones	1983–1984 1989	bass
	David Sancious	1984	rhythm guitar keyboards	Beyond Appearances (1985)
	Chester C. Thompson		drums
	Alphonso Johnson	1985–1989 1992	bass	Beyond Appearances (1985) Freedom (1987) Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
	Sterling Crew	1986	keyboards	Freedom (1987)
	Walfredo Reyes Jr.	1989–1991 1992–1993	drums	Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990) Milagro (1992) Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993)
	Billy Johnson	1991 1994 2000–2001		Milagro (1992) Supernatural (1999) Shaman (2002)
	Tony Lindsay	1991 1995–2004 2007–2015	vocals	Milagro (1992) Supernatural (1999) Shaman (2002) Shape Shifter (2012) Corazón (2014) Corazón: Live From México - Live It To Believe It (2014)
	Myron Dove	1992–1996 2003–2005	bass rhythm guitar	Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993)
	Vorriece Cooper	1992–1993	vocals
	Oran Coltrane	1992	saxophone
	Rodney Holmes	1993–1994 1997–2000	drums
	Tommie Bradford	1994
	Curtis Salgado	1995	vocals harmonica
	Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez	1997	drums	Supernatural (1999)
	Ricky Wellman
	William "Bill" Ortiz	1999–2016	trumpet	Milagro (1992) all releases from Supernatural (1999) to Corazón: Live From México - Live It To Believe It (2014)
	Jeff Cressman	1999–2016	trombone	all releases from Supernatural (1999) to Corazón: Live From México - Live It To Believe It (2014)
	Dennis Chambers	2002–2013	drums	All That I Am (2005) Guitar Heaven (2010) Shape Shifter (2012) Corazón (2014)
	Christopher A. Scott	2002–2005	bass vocals
	Freddie Ravel	2009–2010	keyboards	Guitar Heaven (2010)
	José "Pepe" Jimenez	2013–2015	drums

Timeline