Immigrant of the Day: Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana, Musician (Mexico)

Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, the Santana Blues Band, going mostly under the title “Santana,” which created a highly successful blend of salsa, rock, blues, and jazz fusion. Over his career he has sold an estimated 80 million albums worldwide Santana was born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico with a father of musical arts. In 1961, Santana immigrated into the United States without documentation, moving from Mexico to San Francisco. After finally being convinced to stay in San Francisco with his family, he graduated from Mission High School in 1965. Santana began helping the family out by working as a dishwasher and grew to enjoy the San Francisco music scene.

KJ