"Santana" is the debut studio album by American Latin rock band Santana, released on August 22, 1969. The album features a significant amount of instrumental music, reflecting the band's origins as a free-form jam group. At the suggestion of manager Bill Graham, Santana began writing more conventional songs to enhance their impact, while still preserving their improvisational style.
The album gained considerable attention, partly due to the band's performance at the Woodstock Festival earlier that month. The first single from the album, "Jingo," achieved modest success, reaching #56 on the charts and spending eight weeks there. However, the second single, "Evil Ways," became a major hit, reaching #9 on the U.S. Top 10 and spending thirteen weeks on the charts.
Santana spent over two years on the Billboard 200 pop album chart, eventually peaking at #4 in November 1969. It also reached #26 on the UK Albums Chart. The album has been released in both stereo and quadraphonic formats. The cover art was created by Lee Conklin.
