Michael Carabello (born November 18, 1947) is an American musician, best known for playing percussion with Santana during the band's early years. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Early life
Carabello was born in San Francisco and has Puerto Rican ancestry;[1] he grew up in the city's Mission District.[2] Later on in life, Carabello wanted to commission a mural depicting Carlos Santana, Bill Graham and himself, somewhere in the Mission District.[3]
Santana
Carabello joined Santana in 1968 shortly before the band signed with Columbia Records,[4] and primarily played congas for the band while occasionally playing piano.[5] He appeared on the albums Santana,[6]Abraxas,[7] and Santana III,[8] all of which were internationally successful, and he is also depicted with the band in the Woodstock film.[9] He co-wrote several songs on those albums, and is the sole writer for the percussion-oriented track "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" on Abraxas.[5]
Carabello left Santana in 1971. In 1998, Carabello was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Santana.[10] He is the only member of the Hall of Fame whose primary instrument is congas. In 2016, Carabello participated in a reunion of the classic-era Santana lineup for the album Santana IV.[11] It was the first time he had recorded with Carlos Santana and some other former bandmates in 45 years.[12]
Later works
Carabello formed the short-lived jazz band Cobra in 1975, and then settled into a career of teaching and art.[2] He appeared on Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones in 1981.[13]
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