When musician and guitarist Jorge Santana passed away in May 2020 at the age of 68, family, friends, and fans worldwide were saddened by the loss. As a Latin-Rock pioneer, Jorge Santana was the guitarist for the San Francisco-based band Malo in the early 1970s.
The group's 1972 debut album was a success – featuring the well-known song "Suavecito" which peaked at No.18 on the Billboard singles chart.
The Early Life Of Jorge Santana
An excerpt from jorgesantana.com
Born in Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico, Jorge Santana is the youngest of the three brothers and the second after Carlos to pick up the guitar. Being a part of a musical family and having his ear constantly exposed to music was a definite influence, and Jorge was inspired by the musical activity in the household. However, Jorge hadn't had formal music instruction when he started playing the guitar at age 14 in San Francisco.
At first, Jorge was drawn to the sounds and rhythms of the blues and Carlos' interpretations of that style of music. In fact, he credits Carlos for introducing him to a wide range of music, musical styles, personalities, and experiences
By the late '60s and while still in high school, Jorge was playing with a four-piece blues band in local San Francisco clubs. He was asked to join a band called THE MALIBUS'S, a nine-piece R&B group with horns. After a steady club gig, which helped the band refine their sound, they changed their name to MALO. And, as part of the active scene in San Francisco in the early '70s, the band was signed by Warner Brothers.
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After Malo disbanded, Santana pursued a solo career, toured with his brother Carlos Santana, and played with the salsa collective Fania All-Stars. In 1994, Jorge, in collaboration with Carlos Santana and nephew Carlos Hernandez, released the Latin blues album Santana Brothers.
A Santana Partnership and Fine Farewell
With a partnership that spanned more than a decade, WebSight Design (WSD) had the pleasure of designing, developing, and hosting websites for many members of the Santana family, including Jorge Santana, Carlos Santana, Deborah Santana, Cindy Blackman Santana, and Salvador Santana. The site jorgesantana.com is still hosted by WSD as a memorial to his life and creativity.
As fans and business partners, we'd like to say farewell to the beloved musician, artist, dog lover, guitarist and kind, generous person who contributed so much and inspired many. Rest in peace, Jorge.
