Biography of Carlos Santana

More than two decades after his breakthrough performance at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, Carlos Santana reach his commercial apex with his 36th album, Supernatural. Recorded with such guest musicians and vocalists as Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and the Dust Brothers, the album received nine Grammy awards and sold over 12 million copies. The album's first single, "Smooth," featuring the vocals of Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas, spent 12 weeks in the top position on Billboard's Hot 100 list. The son of a mariachi violinist, Santana began playing guitar shortly after moving with his family to the border boom town of Tijuana. His earliest influence came from American blues guitarists including B.B.King, John Lee Hooker, and T-Bone Walker. After cutting his musical teeth with a local band, the TJs, Santana joined his family in San Francisco in 1961. He formed his first group, the Santana Blues Band, in 1966. The band became a regular feature at Bill Graham's Fillmore West, sharing bills with the Grateful Dead, Boz Scaggs, and Country Joe and the Fish. With their performance at Woodstock on August 10, 1969, and subsequent appearance in the documentary film of the event, Santana and his band became an internationally recognized phenomenon. Their self-titled debut album sold three million copies and included the Top 40 hit "Evil Ways." They continued their success with their second album Abraxas, featuring hit renditions of Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman" and Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va." Their third album, Santana III, included the hit "Everything's Everything" and "No One to Depend On." With their next albums -- Caravanaseri in 1970 and Welcome in 1973 -- Santana veered towards Latin-influenced jazz. Despite the band's success, Santana has continued to seek new avenues for his playing. He recorded an album, Live, with drummer/vocalist Buddy Miles, in 1972. The following year, he joined with jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, keyboardist Jan Hammer, and drummer Billy Cobham of the Mahavishnu Orchestra to record an album, Love, Devotion and Surrender, that included a version of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and "Naima." In 1974, he collaborated with Coltrane's widow, Alice Coltrane and ex-Miles Davis bassist Dave Holland to record an album, Illuminations, inspired by his devotion to spiritual mysticism. Santana recorded two additional jazz-influenced albums -- Oneness in 1979 and The Swing of Delight in 1980 -- featuring ex-Miles Davis sidemen, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Cartet, and Weather Report saxophonist Wayne Shorter. In 1988, he and Shorter collaborated on a tour of North America. Santana has received numerous awards for his imaginative playing. A multiple winner of the Best Pop-Rock Guitarist award in the readers' poll conducted by Playboy, he has received ten BAMMY (Bay Area Music) awards including six as Best Guitarist and four as Musician of the Year. In 1996, he received Billboard's Century Award for lifetime creative achievement. The same year, his music was celebrated with a special recording academy (NARAS) tribute during the Grammy award ceremonies. Santana, along with Bill Graham and Jerry Garcia, became a charter member of the BAMMY Hall of Fame in 1997. ~ Craig Harris

Biography of George Clinton

George Clinton scored a few solo hits on Capitol in the early '80s, but as the president of Parliament, P. Funk, Funkadelic, and other outfits, Clinton set a new agenda for Black music during the '70s. He combined theater, sci-fi, and funk glossolalia into something that was uniquely his own. On record he loses some of his impact, but it's still the ultimate boom-box music. That Motown passed on him says much for the stripe of Clinton's music. ~ Colin Escott

Biography of DeBarge

Motown hoped this family act would turn into another Jackson 5. Specializing in soft-pop tunes such as "All This Love" and "Time Will Reveal," family members include Eldra, Mark, Randy, Bunny, and Bobby. After hitting big with Richard Perry's "Rhythm of the Night" in 1985, El began receiving accolades for his fine tenor vocals and was singled out for a solo career in 1986. He went on to further success while the remainder of the family floundered at other record companies. ~ Rick A. Bueche