The band that inspires Carlos Santana to play music
Carlos Santana is among the world’s most talented fusion artists, blending old-school rock and roll with Latin American jazz standards, bringing new vitality to rock with the introduction of congas and timbales to his sound. Santana famously drew on wider inspirations like blues and jazz, with B.B. King and Bola Sete among his musical mentors.
His wide range of influences is most evident in his eclectic sound and also in that of his favourite band, The Doors. Fronted by Jim Morrison, The Doors were equally inspired by a wide array of musicians, from Frank Sinatra to John Coltrane.
In an interview with Guitar World, Santana got nostalgic about the sounds of the 1960s, saying: “When I close my eyes, and I play, I always think of The Doors, which is one of my favourite bands. I love The Doors more than anyone or anything. There’s something about The Doors and ‘Light My Fire’ and Robby Krieger; I guess he was listening to Ali Akbar Khan and also Ravi Shankar. But The Doors is the ultimate garage band.”
He spoke emphatically about the psychedelic rock band, insisting their music had the sonic power to make the world a better place. “If they played more music by The Doors or John Coltrane in elevators, shopping malls, radio [the world would change],” said Santana. “Music reminds people that we are divine. No matter what your mind says or what the media says. A ‘media mind’ is not necessarily good for you. Sometimes you turn off the TV, and you can hear the clouds moving, the birds chirping, children laughing.”
In 2010, his reverence for the band was evident again, with him recording his own version of ‘Riders On The Storm’ for 2010’s Guitar Heaven, featuring Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. After Manzarek died in 2013, Santana spoke to ABC Radio, saying he always intended to record more material with him.
“I wanted to do a song by John Lee Hooker [with members of The Doors] because The Doors were two things: John Lee Hooker and John Coltrane,” Santana said. “So I wanted to do ‘Big Legs, Tight Skirts’, and then Ray left. He went to the other side. Now him and Jim are together.”
Years later, Santana revisited The Doors’ work again, performing their seminal hits ‘Riders On The Storm’, ‘Roadhouse Blues’ and ‘Back Door Man’ at the Founders Awards in 2017. But it wasn’t until 2021 that Doors guitarist Robby Krieger even knew Santana was a fan. In an interview with Vulture that year, he said: “I was watching Access Hollywood a few years ago, and Carlos Santana was being interviewed for a segment. He was asked about his favourite band, and he said The Doors.”
“That was pretty cool,” continued Krieger. “I never, ever realised that. I mean, we played together many times back in the day. But I never realized that he was such a big fan of ours.”
