Soul Sacrifice: The Santana Story

by Simon Leng

Soul Sacrifice is the first ever biography of Carlos Santana-the most famous Latin American musician in the world. This genuine "rags to riches" story traces his life from a childhood playing Mariachi music on the streets of Tijuana, through to worldwide superstardom. Founded on his own unique Afro-Latin-Blues guitar sound, his eponymously-named multi-racial band, emerged from the late sixities San Francisco scene and gained instant legendary status following their raptuously received set at Woodstock. Through subsequent LPs like Abraxas and Santana III , the band have gone on to sell over 35 million albums and played to millions across the globe. Carlos Santana's musical journey has also embraced a number of intriguing tangents, including complex jazz odysseys like Caravanserai and Welcome and collaborations with John McLaughlin, Alice Coltrane and Herbie Hancock. After receiving a lifetime achievement award from Billboard magazine in 1996, Santana recently returned to the fray with his first studio album in seven years. Featuring collaborations with Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews and Eric Clapton, Supernatural once again placed Santana at the number one spot on Billboard's US chart-as did its first single, "Smooth"-confirming the longevity of Santana's appeal. Simon Leng has enjoyed unprecedented access to band members and associates, and most importantly Carlos Santana himself, producing a gripping portrait of a World Music pioneer who is also one of the most distinctive and influential guitarist of all time.

Genres: Music

223 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Santana has been a favorite musician of mine since his first album and though the years since.

[Jacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for "raw" content, -1 for Polish translation. Anyway, a recommended read for Santana fans.