Hector Saldaña: Santana is still on Rolie's playlist When Santana stepped onto the stage for its historic performance at the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair on Aug. 15, 1969, its founders — guitarist Carlos Santana and singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie — claimed their stake at the forefront of Latin rock.
That's not to diminish the roles of the Sunglows, Sunny and the Sunliners, the Jordan Brothers, Little Joe y la Familia, Tortilla Factory, the Latin Breed and other Texas acts pioneering that fusion. It's just that Santana reached the brass ring first. They were also better positioned for success. “We'd never heard of them,” said Rolie from his Austin home. “But that was understandable. We came out of San Francisco. That was the hotbed.” But there was another important difference, says Rolie who brings the Gregg Rolie Band to help christen the new Endless Music (formerly Scout Bar) Saturday. “Our music was more animalistic, more sexual,” he said. “Santana created its own music by creating a melting pot (of styles).” Rolie, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Santana (he's the voice of hits such as “Black Magic Woman,” “Evil Way” and “Oye Como Va”), also co-founded Journey. Even with all that history and multiplatinum success, Rolie says he's never been happier playing with his band and those friendships because “it's about ‘the hang.'” For nine years with the Gregg Rolie Band, which includes former Santana members, he has returned to his Latin rock roots. “It's like my first born,” said Rolie, 63. “It's kind of like playing the blues, it never goes away.” But if one digs deeper, they'll find out that in the mid-'60s Rolie was like a lot of other kids — playing in combos right out of high school. His was William Penn, a garage band that specialized in songs by Paul Revere & the Raiders. “They were really different. At the time, they were pretty cool,” said Rolie, who was 18 and played a Vox organ. “William Penn was a cover band, but an excellent one. We were well known in the Bay Area.” Within a year, he would meet Carlos Santana and ditch the Vox Continental for a massive Hammond B-3 and Leslie tone cabinet. It was 1966. He still plays it. In concert, Rolie plays original Latin rock, choice standards, blues and, of course, the Santana hits his voice made famous. “They sound just like they're supposed to,” said Rolie. “This is still fresh. Maybe more so because the pressure's off.” -- http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/entertainment_columnists/hector_saldana/article/Hector-Salda-a-Santana-is-still-on-Rolie-s-990608.php%3E Via InstaFetch -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en.
