Publisher’s Book Description: Discover the childhood story of Carlos Santana in Gary Golio’s Sound of the Heart, Song of the World, featuring illustrations by Rudy Gutierrez, the internationally celebrated artist who created the iconic Carlos Santana Shaman CD cover.
Carlos Santana grew up surrounded by music. His father, a beloved mariachi performer, teaches his son how to play the violin when he is only six years old. But when Carlos discovers American blues, he is captivated by the raw honesty of the music. Unable to think of anything else, he loses all interest in the violin. When Carlos finally receives his first guitar, his whole life begins to change.
From his early exposure to mariachi to his successful fusing of rock, blues, jazz, and Latin influences, here is the childhood story of a legendary musician.
From Rebecca P: Carlos Santana is a gorgeous, informative picture book about the childhood years of a living musical legend with art that has a rhythm as strong as Mr. Santana’s own music. The story is perfectly encapsulated by Mr. Santana himself: “It’s like so many fathers and sons–he had his music, and I had to have mine.” The book is filled with heart, and I saved this quote from the text:
“But [Santana] is also learning from his father what gives a musician his real strength–playing for each person one-to-one, whether the audience is a small family or an entire town. The sound goes from heart to heart, from player to listener, with a promise of respect between the two.
Without that, music is just empty notes.”
As Mr. Santana himself has said, “The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart.”
The Winged Pen was lucky to interview the picture book’s author, Gary Golio.
Q: As a fan of Carlos Santana, I must ask: Have you met him or seen him perform live? If so, is there anything that stood out for you about him, his personality, or performance?
A: I have not seen Carlos perform live, but the most important quality of his playing, for me, has always been his attention to melody. Rather than concern himself with chords (made up of several notes), he shapes single notes with great feeling, using the elements of sustain, timing, and finger pressure. It’s what makes songs like “Samba Pa Ti” and “Black Magic Woman” so compelling and memorable, sound-wise.
Q: Do you remember the first time you heard Mr. Santana’s music? What did it mean to you, and do you feel the music differently now vs. then?
A: When I first heard the band Santana, I was 17. The album Abraxas had a mind-blowing, surreal cover-image painted by (Abdul) Mati Klarwein, which only enhanced the exoticism of songs like “Oye Como Va” and “Black Magic Woman.” The hypnotic quality of the sound had a lot to do with the nature of those elements the band was stirring up, that legacy of Afro-Cuban music and jazz. I was not that music-savvy in terms of genres at 17, but the Santana sound was unlike anything I had heard before and it stayed with me. The mood of the music in those songs remains to this day.
Q: As an author of several books about musicians, are you one, too? If so, what do you play? Do you perform for others? If not, what inspired you to write about so many wonderful performers?
A: My grandmother, mother, and maternal aunt shared a great range of music with me, from black singers like Ella, Louis, Nat King Cole, and Ray Charles, to country artists like Hank Williams and Willie Nelson, jazz musicians Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis, and pop stars or crooners like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. As a result, I began playing guitar as a teenager–Beatles songs and pop tunes I learned from listening to the radio–and later on became enamored of folk and blues. These days, I like to improvise on guitar and banjo, simply for my own pleasure. As for writing about musicians, I’m fascinated by the seeds of the creative process and am always interested in the early (childhood) roots of the musicians I admire. But my book on the origins of The Tramp character, in Charlie Chaplin’s London boyhood, is coming out next year, so I don’t limit myself strictly to musicians.
Q: While doing research, was there anything you weren’t able to fit into the book that you wish people knew about Mr. Santana?
A: There were details of his family’s early troubles and poverty that I personally thought were important–and which I included in the original manuscript–but my editor, Christy Ottaviano, wisely counseled me to omit them. Those details and events were simply too sad and, while influential, would have made the story much too heavy. I wanted the book to move more and more toward joy and reconciliation (between Carlos and his father), and that is what it does.
Thank you for some great questions!
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GARY GOLIO is the New York Times-bestselling author of Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, When Bob Met Woody, Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey, and Bird & Diz. He lives in New York with his family. garygolio.com