Even legendary guitarist Carlos Santana was told to keep his day job, and now a documentary surrounding the musician’s life is in the works. Variety reports that Emmy Award winner Rudy Valdez is standing at the helm of the production that will show audiences how a 14-year-old busker became a 10-time Grammy Award-winning performer. Fans of Santana’s will be given backstage treatment to the musician’s life via never-before-seen pieces of archival footage and deeply buried tracks, which will help form the story about how the guitarist broke musical barriers and became successful even when all the odds were stacked against him.
Performing as a solo act as he was just breaking into the biz, Santana quickly ended up forming a band that was then named Santana. The band would get sneers and jabs at their sound, which blended Latin American jazz and rock n’ roll, but after a short time, no one was laughing anymore. Their popularity quickly grew and carried them all over the world and even to the legendary Woodstock. Always striving to learn more, Santana’s expertise as a guitarist led him to earn 10 Grammys, three Latin Grammy Awards, become a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and so much more. Always updating with the times, Santana has kept his sound fresh over the years and has collaborated with a variety of artists including Rob Thomas and Steve Winwood to attract new listeners to his music.
As for the untitled documentary, Imagine’s Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes will produce alongside Lizz Morhaim, Leopoldo Gout, Ashley Kahn, and Sam Pollard. Imagine Entertainment's co-founders, the legendary Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, will executive produce. Joining Grazer and Howard will be Michael Vrionis and Sony Music Entertainment’s Tom Mackay and Richard Story. Meredith Kaulfers will co-executive produce on behalf of Imagine.
As is expected, Santana is beyond thrilled to have his stories in the very capable hands of Imagine and Sony Music as well as Valdez. In a statement, he said that the partnership has him feeling “honored and grateful” and that he knows the production team will help him reach his goal for the film which is to “touch people’s hearts and to inspire people to re-connect with their own light that they may ignite blessings and miracles.”
Santana’s contributions to music are impossible to comprehend. There are very few artists who are continuing to reach audiences over 50 years since they broke out onto the scene, but Santana is certainly one of them. As of right now, a release date for the documentary hasn’t been set, but stay tuned to Collider for more information.