Carlos Santana Opens Up About His 50-Year Career
By Spectrum News Staff El Segundo
PUBLISHED 2:08 PM ET Jul. 15, 2019 UPDATED 3:57 PM ET Jul. 15, 2019
This week LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez profiles the iconic musician Carlos Santana.
Now in his seventh decade, the revered guitarist shares with Giselle his inspiration for his newest album, Africa Speaks.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee says he believes in the power of music to be a “weapon of mass compassion” to help heal the world.
Giselle discovers Santana’s mysterious spiritual inspirations, voices and angels, that he says speak to him guiding his life and the music he writes. Surprisingly, he tells Giselle one of them is the Mona Lisa, who began speaking to him in Paris and, in a dream, spoke to him the words for one of his more recent hit songs.
In a powerful and poignant moment, Santana opens up to Giselle about being sexually abused, at age 10, by a pedophile who lured him back and forth across the U.S., Mexico border. He explains that it took over 40 years and one of his angels encouraging him to speak up about the experience to reduce his shame, pain, and anger.
Remarkably, Carlos has forgiven the man who preyed on him. He shares how he did it and the impact that has had on his life today. Santana’s experiences as a child have made him particularly concerned about the welfare of children around the world.
Giselle finds out about his Milagro Foundation, which is serving children here in SoCal. LA Stories visits the Carlos Santana Arts Academy, in North Hills, where his Milagro Foundation is funding a music and arts programs giving joy to underserved youth.
Santana, who performed at Woodstock 50 years ago this summer, says he finds hope in children and sees similarities in the student protestors of today and those of the tumultuous sixties.
The legend also takes us inside his relationship with the love of his life, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana.
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