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Santana's Debut Album Turns 50 Years Old

By Felix Contreras
Published August 30, 2019 at 10:37 AM EDT
<em>Santana</em>'s cultural mash-up made a statement about Latin music that still reverberates to this day.
Tucker Ranson
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Santana's cultural mash-up made a statement about Latin music that still reverberates to this day.

1969 was a pivotal year for music: Aretha Franklin's Soul '69, both Led Zeppelin's self-titled debut and Led Zeppelin II, Janis Joplin's I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Miles Davis' In a Silent Way are just a few of the seismic albums released that year.

This week, we're going to take a closer look at another one of those influential albums. Released just a week after its Woodstock performance, Santana's self-titled debut had a profound impact both musically and socially. Santana's cultural mash-up made a statement about Latin music that still reverberates to this day.

Who better to tell the story of Santana than some original members of Santana itself? On this episode of Alt.Latino, hear an oral history from guitarist Carlos Santana, drummer Michael Shrieve, conguero Michael Carabello as well as keyboardist and vocalist Gregg Rolie. Their story is a lesson in ignoring boundaries and expectations and instead celebrating inspiration and friendship.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Felix Contreras
Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.
See stories by Felix Contreras

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

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