Carlos Santana (born as Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán; 20 July 1947 in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, México) is a Mexican rock guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion. The band's sound featured his melodic, blues-based guitar lines set against Latin and African rhythms. Santana continued to work in these forms over the following decades. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards. Santana has was an avenue named after him as well as a statue of a guitar in the city where he was born (born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, México) to honour him. The family moved from there to Tijuana In La Calonia Libertad, the city on Mexico's border with California, and then San Francisco, USA. Carlos stayed in Tijuana but joined his family in San Francisco later and graduated from James Lick Middle School and Mission High School there. Most of his musical career has been spent with Santana, the band he formed in San Francisco in 1967. His music underwent large changes in 1973 when he was introduced to the spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, by fellow guitarist "Mahavishnu" John McLaughlin. After this he adopted the title "Devadip" which he still uses. In 1998 he formed the Milagro Foundation along with his wife Deborah, which supports disadvantaged children. Later Carlos and Deborah divorced, but the Milagro Foundation is still alive and well. Other huge influences of Carlos Santana are both Miles Davis (with whom he maintained a big personal connection), and John Coltrane, who unfortunately passed away in 1967.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 20, 1947 (79)
- Autlán de Navarro (México)
- Actor, producer and composer
- 6 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
What are Carlos Santana's films like?
Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 16
Light 13 · Serious 3 · Dark 0
Grounded 15 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1
Gentle 11 · Charged 5 · Intense 0
Steady 15 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 11 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 13 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 16 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Carlos Santana's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Carlos Santana's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
29 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 80 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Carlos(2023)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Fandango at the Wall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Dolores(2017)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Santana - Montreux Jazz Festival 2015 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Santana Live at Montreux 2011 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Santana: Greatest Hits - Live at Montreux 2011 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Woodstock: Untold Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Buddy Guy: Live At Montreux 2004 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Clarence Gatemouth Brown: Live At Montreux 2004 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics: Rockin' the Sixties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Bobby Parker: Live at Montreux 2004 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Santana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Ultimate Albums (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
John Lee Hooker - That's My Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
La Bamba(1987)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Santana: East Berlin 1987 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Santana Live at Hammersmith Odeon, December 15th, 1976 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Rockpalast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Santana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Santana - Live at Tanglewood 1970 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
San Francisco Rock: A Night at the Family Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Got No Shoes, Got No Blues: the Texas International Pop Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana & Steve Lukather Live In Japan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Tramaine Hawkins Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 27 titles, 25 of them dated from 1969 to 2023.
How do Carlos Santana's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 51/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Carlos Santana work with?
People who share at least 2 of Carlos Santana's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Mayer shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Luca De LuigiShared titles: Invitation to Illumination - Live at Montreux 2011 (2011), Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Luca De Luigi
Actors
- John MayerShared titles: Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away (2021), B.B. King: The Life of Riley (2012), Herbie Hancock: Possibilities (2006)See all 3 shared titles with John Mayer
- Herbie HancockShared titles: Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019), Herbie Hancock: Possibilities (2006), Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Herbie Hancock
- Quincy JonesShared titles: Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres (2022), Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Quincy Jones
- Buddy GuyShared titles: Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away (2021), The Torch (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Buddy Guy
Producers
- Michael VrionisShared titles: Carlos (2023), Santana Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Vrionis
Mixed roles
- Luis ValdezShared titles: Dolores (2017), La Bamba (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Luis Valdez
