Legendary Carlos Santana heads for SA shores

The music icon is set to dazzle South Africans once again with his signature sultry sound

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Legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana (70) and his band are visiting the country for the second time as part of their Divination tour. Fans can catch them – along with supporting act Mango Groove – at the Cape Town Stadium on 11 April, Durban ICC on 13 April and Jozi’s Ticketpro Dome on 14 April. 1 Started in the late ’60s, the band pioneered Latin-infused rock music. Over the course of their five-decade career they’ve sold more than 100 million records and won 10 Grammys – nine of which were for the 1999 hit album Supernatural which spawned the hits Maria, Maria and Smooth ( featuring Rob Thomas).

2 Carlos has been named one of the top 20 greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. He believes in letting his instrument do the talking. “John Lee Hooker, BB King, Miles Davis – all of these people are part of my heart. They taught me to tell stories when you take a solo, not just play a bunch of clever, cute, thought-out notes.” 3 In 2014 he released his memoir, The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light, in which he talks about his spiritual beliefs as well as his poverty-stricken childhood in Mexico, where he suffered sexual abuse.

4 He’s a passionate humanitarian and in 1998 started the Milagro Foundation which helps underprivileged children around the world. He also executive-produced the documentary Dolores about US civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, who’s dedicated her life to improving the lives of workers, immigrants and women and is still active at the age of 87.

5 The band have been headlining a long-standing residency at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. Carlos lives in the city with his second wife, drummer Cindy Blackman, whom he married in 2010.