The Universal Tone

The intimate and long-awaited memoir of guitar legend Carlos Santana. In the realm of guitar gods, Carlos Santana stands alone for what's come to be called his "universal tone" - both the fact that you can recognise a Santana song from just one note and that Santana is famous for his belief that music and soul are interconnected. In the category of long-awaited, major rock memoirs, this is at the top - a big autobiography by one of the most mysterious and influential musicians of the last 50 years. From growing up dirt-poor in Mexico and suffering abuse to becoming a lowly dishwasher in the US with a hot guitar hand, to a person you might almost think is perpetually in a state of nirvana or at least bliss, this is the story of a fascinating man who brings the ideal combination of storytelling gold and a major marketing machine. This is one of the most sensory (and sensual) major rock bios you'll ever read. His voice comes across as deeply honest and frank, and from imagining the wisps of smoke from a long-gone Miles Davis before Carlos's shows to describing the strength of his connection to sound, Santana brings a remarkable book to his huge following this autumn.