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Santana (1969 album)

by Santana

Released: August 22, 1969

Latin rock, jazz fusion, psychedelic rock

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Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Debut Album.

The Album

"Santana" is the debut studio album by American Latin rock band Santana, released on August 22, 1969. 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 features a significant amount of instrumental music, reflecting the band's origins as a free-form jam group.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The album gained considerable attention, partly due to…

The album gained considerable attention, partly due to the band's performance at the Woodstock Festival earlier that month.

The album has been released in both stereo…

The album has been released in both stereo and quadraphonic formats.

The cover art was created by Lee Conklin

The cover art was created by Lee Conklin.

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Essential Tracks

Evil Ways

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.

Jingo

The first single from the album, "Jingo," achieved modest success, reaching #56 on the charts and spending eight weeks there.

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Explore the Album

Santana - Santana (1969 album)

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Then

Reception

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.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"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.