Santana's Debut Album Turns 50 Years Old

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.

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