This piece was originally published at BESE in September 2018.
Few artists ever have the sort of career arc that Carlos Santana has. Alongside Bob Dylan and Neil Young, the iconic guitarist has thrived as a recording artist in the 21st century, a rare feat as most of that generation’s acts either faded into obscurity or transitioned primarily to legacy status.
He first became a known quantity when his San Francisco based namesake group scored with a Latin-tinged cover of jazzman Clarence “Sonny” Henry’s “Evil Ways,” which eventually rose to No. 9 on the Billboard singles charts by 1970. While the fairly fluid band would enjoy success with several records throughout that decade, Santana’s seemingly expected resurgence came some thirty years later as the collaborative “Maria Maria” with Wyclef Jean and “Smooth” with Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas proved to be massive pop crossovers and Hot 100 chart toppers.