Carlos Santana At The 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors

Santana Received A Well-Deserved Honor And An Unforgettable Tribute!

Since 1978, The Kennedy Center Honors has been an annual event at the Kennedy Center Opera House and was created by George Stevens Jr. and Nick Vanoff. Though the process of selecting the honorees has been kept secret, the announcement is often made during summer and the ceremony will then be held on the first week of December.

Each year the Kennedy Center’s national artists committee and past honorees present recommendations for proposed Honorees to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2013, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Martina Arroyo, and Shirley MacLaine were honored along with Carlos Santana at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Fher Olvera paid tribute to Santana by leading off a medley with his greatest hits such as “Black Magic Woman,” “Corazon Espinado” and “Oye Como Va.” It was an amazing performance! One of best moments was when legendary bluesman Buddy Guy performed “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man.”

The show jumps up a notch when Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello steps onstage for “Black Magic Woman,” ramping up a Santana-style guitar solo that culminates with his own signature octave-jumping and turntable-mimicry. — Rolling Stone

President Obama injected a little humor as he talked about Santana’s epic performance during the Woodstock Festival:

“Carlos was in such a — shall we say — altered state of mind that he remembers almost nothing about the other performers. He thought the neck of his guitar was an electric snake.”

Truly, it was a night to be remembered!