Notable Hispanics: Carlos Santana

Legendary musician Carlos Santana was born in 1947 in the town of Autlan de Navarro, Mexico. The son of an accomplished violinist, Santana learned to play the guitar at the age of 8, and it wasn't long before the young guitarist began playing in clubs.

Though music has played an integral role throughout Santana's life, it was not until the early 1960s, when his father moved the family to San Francisco in order to find work, that Santana was introduced to a variety of musical styles that would go on to shape his unique sound. After deciding to devote himself to music full-time in 1966, his eponymous band became known for blending the sounds of rock, jazz, blues, salsa, and African rhythms.

Santana and his band's growing popularity was on display at the famed Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969, where the band's performance is considered a highlight of the historic festival. It was that performance that heavily influenced Clive Davis of Columbia Records to sign the band to the label.

In addition to his work with the band, whose personnel changed so frequently that Santana himself was soon the lone member of the original trio to stay with the band, Santana performed with legendary musicians such as Buddy Miles, Herbie Hancock and John McLaughlin.

Though he's known for experimenting and embracing various styles of music over the course of his career, Santana's distinct sound remains one of the most recognizable in music. That sound experienced a rebirth in the late 1990s when Santana, who's record sales had dwindled considerably throughout most of the decade, was reunited with Davis, who was at the time running Arista Records. Davis encouraged Santana to record "Supernatural," an album featuring a variety of younger artists, including Rob Thomas, Dave Matthews and Wyclef Jean. The album proved a tremendous critical and commerical success, winning eight Grammy Awards while introducing Santana to an entirely new generation of music fans.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 along with the original members of Santana, Carlos Santana has won 10 Grammy Awards during a career that has spanned decades and he is universally considered one of the greatest guitarists of all-time.