Studio Album · No. 15
Blues for Salvador
Produced by Carlos Santana · Engineered by Jim Gaines, Dana Jon Chappelle, Jim Scott, Maureen Droney, Bryan Bell, Keith Olsen
Santana wrote 9 of 9 documented tracks
Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented
Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Santana carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Awards & Recognition 1
Released under the Carlos Santana solo name rather than the band, Blues for Salvador is a mostly instrumental record dedicated to his son Salvador, with Santana credited or co-credited as writer on every track and as producer on eight of the nine. The closing title track, a slow and restrained guitar piece, earned Santana the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, his first Grammy win. Keyboardist Chester Thompson and engineer Mark Sterling Crew share the bulk of the remaining writing credits, anchoring the album's blend of jazz fusion and Latin rock around Santana's lead guitar. The extended live cut "Now That You Know" stretches past ten minutes and stands apart from the studio-built tracks around it.
Blues for Salvador is a solo album by Carlos Santana, released in October 1987 on CBS Records and self-produced. Recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, the album is primarily instrumental and represents Santana's most explicitly blues-oriented studio work. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1989, Santana's first Grammy win. Key musicians include Chester D. Thompson on keyboards, Alex Ligertwood on vocals, Alphonso Johnson on bass, and Graham Lear on drums. The album is credited to Carlos Santana rather than the band and sits apart from the main Santana catalog as a personal artistic statement.