Michael Carabello (born November 18, 1947) is an American musician, best known for playing

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

with

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

during that band's early years. He is a member of the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

Career

Carabello was born in San Francisco and has Puerto Rican ancestry; he grew up in the city's

Mission District The Mission District (Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as The Mission (Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is ...

. He joined Santana in 1968 shortly before the band signed with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, and primarily played

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s for the band while occasionally playing piano. He appeared on the albums ''

'', ''

Abraxas Abraxas ( grc-x-biblical, ἀβραξάς, abraxas, variant form romanized: ) is a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the "Great Archon" (), the princeps of the 365 spheres (). The word is found ...

'', and ''

Santana III ''Santana'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Santana. The band's second self-titled album, it is often referred to as ''III'' or ''Santana III'' to distinguish it from the band's 1969 debut album. The album was also known as ...

'', all of which were internationally successful, and he is also depicted with the band in the ''

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

'' film. He co-wrote several songs on those albums, and is the sole writer for the percussion-oriented track "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" on ''Abraxas''. Carabello left Santana in 1971. He formed the short-lived jazz band Cobra in 1975, and then settled into a career of teaching and art. In 1998 Carabello was inducted into the

as a member of Santana. He is the only member of the Hall of Fame whose primary instrument is congas. He appeared on ''

Tattoo You ''Tattoo You'' is the 16th British and 18th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 24 August 1981 by Rolling Stones Records. The album is mostly composed of studio outtakes recorded during the 1970s, and ...

'' by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

in 1981. In 2016 Carabello participated in a reunion of the classic-era Santana lineup for the album ''

Santana IV ''Santana IV'' is the twenty-fourth studio album (thirty eighth album overall) by American rock band Santana, released in April 2016. Overview The album reunited most of the surviving members from the early 1970s lineup of the band (including ...

''. It was the first time he had recorded with

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

and some other former bandmates in 45 years.

References

External links

Mike Carabello on Allmusic
*
Michael Carabello discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carabello, Mike Living people Santana (band) members 1947 births American percussionists American people of Puerto Rican descent