Carlos Santana Biography

Fast Facts

• Won nine Grammy Awards 1999's "Supernatural," tying the record for wins for a single project
• Won the Lifetime Achievement honor at the 2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards
• Established the Milagro Foundation in 1998, which has donated over 5 million dollars to non-profit programs benefitting underserved children and youth
• His group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998
• Before becoming a full time musician, he worked as a dishwasher and played on the streets for spare change
• Quote: "At home there is no Santana․ I live free and truthfully․ It's very healthy to be a person rather than a personality․"
• Quote: "I learned a lot from the happiness that comes when you overcome fear․"
• Celebrated for his skill as a guitarist, he was included in "Rolling Stone" as number 20 in the magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
• Gained fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the band Santana which played a rock and Latin American music fusion
• His River of Colors brand has developed products such as shoes, handbags, headwear, sparkling wine and musical instruments