Music legend Carlos Santana created his musical ensemble “Santana” in 1966, and his usage of salsa and mambo-style percussion introduced traditional Latin American music to a large rock audience. In 1969, the group rose to notoriety with the release of their debut album, which charted in the top ten on the Billboard album chart.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the next two decades, and frontman Santana entered the top echelon of rock guitarists. “Supernatural,” which featured collaborations with artists like Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, was Santana’s most commercially and critically successful album.
Fast-forward to 2022, Santana is now getting a documentary that will feature his rise to fame via his eponymously named group and other un-seen details about his life.
Carlos Santana Is ‘Honored And Grateful’
According to Variety, Santana announced the news of the upcoming project in an exclusive, expressing his gratitude to the showrunners and what he hopes the project would fulfill in the long run.
“I am honored and grateful to have partnered with Imagine Documentaries and Sony Music to bring my story to light. Director Rudy Valdez, along with Ron[Howard], Brian[Grazer], Justin[Wilkes], and Sara[Bernstein] have embraced this journey, which is one of triumph and adventurousness,” the singer told the news publication on his upcoming project with the showrunners.
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“The intentionality of this film is to touch people’s hearts and to inspire people to re-connect with their own light so that they may ignite blessings and miracles.
Santana’s path from a 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy-winning global phenomenon will be chronicled in the forthcoming documentary, which will include previously unheard archive material and songs. However, the documentary is yet unnamed as its production is still in the early stages of filming but will progress in the coming months.
More on Santana’s origins and rise to success can be found in his memoir The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light was launched on November 4, 2014.
The Showrunners
For the project, Imagine Documentaries is collaborating on the project with Sony Music Entertainment, which is co-financing and taking charge of the documentary’s distribution. Valdez, who spearheaded Sundance’s U.S. documentary audience award winner “The Sentence,” will take the helm of the project.
The Michigan-raised, Brooklyn-based filmmaker is known for making cinematic, impactful docu- films about social, cultural and political, and other societal issues, and last spearheaded Sundance’s U.S. documentary audience Emmy award winner “The Sentence.”
Joining Valdez in the crew ensemble are Bernstein and Wilkes as co-producers for Imagine. Imagine co-founders and Oscar winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are executive producers, while Tom Mackay and Richard Story are executive-producing on behalf of Sony Music Entertainment.
Rounding up the production cast is Leopoldo Gout, Ashley Kahn, Sam Pollard, Meredith Kaulfers, Michael Vrionis, and an array of other talented crew members.
His Legacy
In the interview with Variety, the showrunners were effusive in their praises for Santana, alluding to the seriousness of the upcoming project and hinting at what fans of the artist should expect when the documentary debuts.
“Carlos Santana’s pioneering vision and artistry have influenced generations of fans across so many genres of music,” said Mackay. “Through this new project in partnership with Imagine Entertainment, we look forward to showcasing the breadth and lasting impact of his story for audiences globally.”
“We’re thrilled that Carlos has entrusted us with bringing his incredibly inspirational story to life in this film,” said Wilkes. “He is one of the greatest musicians of all time, and throughout his career, Santana has unapologetically broken down borders and reinvented a tone universally celebrated across the globe.
Collaborating with Rudy Valdez again is an honor, and we are excited for him to take us on a journey with Santana.”
Santana The Band
While the documentary would solely center on Santana himself and most likely feature physical appearances from his family members, it is unclear whether it would also showcase personal highlights from previous band members, including Autlán de Navarro, David Brown, Mike Carabello, José “Chepito,” Bob Livingston.
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The Santana band has evolved so much across the years that only one of the group’s founding members, Gregg Rolie, remains on the team. The current band members include Carlos Santana – vocals, guitars (1967–present), Andy Vargas – vocals (2012-present), David K. Mathews – keyboards (2011–present), Karl Perazzo – percussion (1991–present), Benny Rietveld – bass (1990–1992, 1997-present), Tommy Anthony – guitars (2005–present) and Cindy Blackman Santana, the latest addition to the group.
Santana and his band are currently touring two countries and have 52 upcoming concerts. Their next tour date is at House of Blues – Las Vegas.
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