Havana Moon cover art

  Studio Album · No. 13

Havana Moon

1983 CBS Records 11 tracks 46 min

Produced by Jerry Wexler, Barry Beckett

CBS Records Roots RockRockBlues Rock
36%
Authorship
Co-Performer

Santana wrote 4 of 11 documented tracks

Authorship Breakdown 4 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Santana carries a lyricist or composer credit.

36%
4 trackswritten by Santana 7 tracksoutside writers
Santana's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist36%
Composer36%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

11
Tracks
13
Lyricists
2
Producers
1983
Released
Data Insight

Havana Moon is a Carlos Santana solo project rather than a Santana band album, cut at The Automatt in San Francisco with veteran producers Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett steering it toward roots rock, blues, and Tex-Mex. Santana wrote or co-wrote only a handful of tracks, including "Mudbone" and the co-credited "Lightnin'" and "Tales of Kilimanjaro," and leaned heavily on covers and guests: the title track is a Chuck Berry song, "Who Do You Love?" comes from Bo Diddley, and the supporting cast runs from Booker T. Jones and the Fabulous Thunderbirds to Willie Nelson and Santana's own father, violinist Jose Santana. The result is a guest-driven covers record where Santana the guitarist serves the songs of others more than he writes his own.

Havana Moon is the thirteenth studio album by Santana, released in April 1983 on CBS Records and produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett. A roots and blues-oriented departure from the polished rock of Zebop! and Shango, the album was recorded in San Francisco with a collection of special guests including Willie Nelson, Booker T. Jones, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, blending blues rock, Tex-Mex, and Latin rhythms. José Santana, Carlos's father, appears playing violin and singing on 'Vereda Tropical.' The album charted modestly and is regarded as a warm, collaborative effort that revealed Santana's deep affection for American roots music.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Watch Your Step
Phil BelmonteBobby Parker Phil BelmonteBobby Parker Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
2
Lightnin'
Booker T. JonesCarlos Santana Booker T. JonesCarlos Santana Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
3
Who Do You Love?
Ellas McDaniel Ellas McDaniel Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
4
Mudbone
Carlos Santana Carlos Santana Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
5
One with You
Booker T. Jones Booker T. Jones Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
6
Ecuador
Carlos Santana Carlos Santana Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
7
Tales of Kilimanjaro
Alan PasquaArmando PerazaRaul RekowCarlos Santana Alan PasquaArmando PerazaRaul RekowCarlos Santana Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
8
Havana Moon
Chuck Berry Chuck Berry Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
9
Daughter of the Night
Hasse HussMikael Rickfors Hasse HussMikael Rickfors Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
10
They All Went to Mexico #7
Greg Brown Greg Brown Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)
11
Vereda Tropical
Gonzalo Curiel Gonzalo Curiel Jerry WexlerBarry Beckett Carlos Santana (Guitar)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 15 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions Havana Moon

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