Salvador Santana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salvador Santana
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Salvador Santana
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 22, 1983 Marin County, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, Electronic Music, Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, spoken word artist, songwriter, and composer |
| Instruments | Electronic keyboard and piano |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Various Business |
| Associated acts | Santana, Money Mark, Del the Funky Homosapien, GZA |
Salvador Santana, born on May 22, 1983, is a talented musician. He sings, writes songs, and composes music. His main instruments are the electronic keyboard and piano. Salvador comes from a very musical family! His father is Carlos Santana, a famous guitarist who has won ten Grammy Awards. His mother is Deborah Santana, a poet and activist. Salvador's grandfathers were also amazing musicians. Saunders King, his mom's father, was a blues legend. Jose Santana, his dad's father, was a violinist and led a mariachi band.
Salvador started playing piano when he was just five years old. Marcia Miget taught him. Later, he studied music at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts High School. He also learned to play percussion, especially the tympani drum. He played piano in his school's award-winning jazz band too.
In 1999, Salvador worked with his father on a song called "El Farol." This song was on the album Supernatural and won a Grammy Award.
Salvador studied Musical Arts at California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, California. There, he met his wife, Megan.
Contents
Salvador Santana Band (2004–2008)
In 2004, Salvador started his own group, the Salvador Santana Band. The band members were Emerson Cardenas (bass), Quincy McCrary (vocals, keyboards), Woody Aplanalp (guitar), Tony Austin (drums), and José Espinoza (sax, percussion, vocals). With this band, Salvador played a fresh mix of hip hop and jazz. His music was inspired by his grandfathers, Saunders King and Jose Santana, and his father, Carlos. He also loved jazz artists like John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock, and hip-hop groups like Ozomatli.
Keyboard City Album (2008–2010)
In 2009, Salvador went into the studio to record his first solo album, Keyboard City. He worked with famous underground artists like Del the Funky Homosapien, Money Mark (from Beastie Boys), and GZA to create the album.
Salvador described Keyboard City as "a mix of my favorite music." He said it was "the best of what’s impacted my life, all coming together in a new way." The idea for the album came after a remix project in 2008. Del the Funky Homosapien remixed a song called "Hella Tight" by the Salvador Santana Band. This collaboration inspired Salvador's new musical direction for his album.
In late 2009, several remix versions of the album's main song, "Keyboard City," were released online. These remixes were made by internet DJs like The Hood Internet and electronic musician Dan Deacon. Both remixes featured vocals by GZA. These songs became very popular on music websites like Pitchfork Media.
Keyboard City was released on February 2, 2010, by Quannum Projects. Keyboard Magazine praised the album, saying it was one of the best neo-funk records of the decade. Allmusic.com and Spin Magazine also gave the album good reviews.
Music and Message (2011–2014)
Salvador and his bands have played at many big music events. These include the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival, and the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Salvador has also worked on other projects. He was part of the Hymns for Peace DVD in 2004. He also appeared on his father Carlos Santana’s Corazón Live in Guadalajara DVD in 2013.
In 2013, Salvador released an album with six songs called Rise Up. Songs like "Mi Tesoro," "Into The Light," and "Rise Up" have a powerful sound. Other songs like "Ain’t Enough" and "Gimme Your Best" are upbeat and energetic.
The song "Rise Up" is featured in a film called School of My Dreams. This documentary is about the Daraja Academy in Kenya. It is a free secondary school for girls. Salvador was inspired to write "Rise Up" after a trip to South Africa in 2006. He met President Nelson Mandela there. This experience made him want to create music with a positive message.
For Salvador, making music is not about being famous. It's about helping people with kindness, love, and positive energy every day. He says, "The main ingredient to my inspiration and creative drive is joy. I want to use music in a positive way and give back to people in need. There can never be enough people who do that."
In 2014, Salvador was invited to record with famous Latin rock musicians like El Chicano. He played keyboards on a song called "Sunday Kind Of Mood." This song is part of producer Gerry Gallagher's album, which came out in 2019.
Recent Projects (2015–Present)
In August 2015, Salvador released his first full-length album, Fantasy Reality. He also joined his father, Carlos Santana, as a special guest on the Corazon tour.
In 2017, Salvador recorded a song with Juanes. This song was for a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover album called Quiero Creedence.
Salvador's newest project is an album called RMXKNZ. He created it with fellow musician Asdrubal "Asdru" Sierra from the band Ozomatli. Salvador described the album as "a love letter to L.A., Latinx culture and what we call La Resistencia, the Resistance." This album shares a strong political message.
See also
In Spanish: Salvador Santana para niños
