Carlos Santana in Malta for Granaries concert in July

Guitar legend Carlos Santana is set to perform in Malta on July 24 at the Granaries, in Floriana as part of a European tour promoting his latest album, Guitar Heaven.

The new album features covers of guitar classics such as Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water and Jimmy Hendrix’s Little Wing.

Santana burst onto the music scene in 1969 with a memorable set at the Woodstock Festival before releasing a studio album. He achieved commercial success in the following years with his studio releases, with hits such as Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman.

The guitarist, while always active, had seen a lull in popularity and in the 1990s he was eventually dropped by his record label. He experienced an explosion of popularity in 1999 with his album Supernatural, which saw the moustachioed Mexican rub shoulders with younger artists on MTV. Singles Smooth (featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20) and Maria Maria (featuring The Product G&B) spent weeks in the number one spot on the charts and the album went on to sell a record 27 million copies worldwide.

Santana continued the formula of working with different artistes in subsequent albums and to date his collaborations have included Michelle Branch (Game of Love) and nu-metal band P.O.D. (America). This formula continues and, in Guitar Heaven, Santana not only collaborates with artistes as diverse as ex-Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell and cellist Yo-Yo Ma but covers a dozen songs renowned for their memorable guitar work.

The concert is organised by NNG Promotions years, held big summer concerts featuring the likes of Elton John, Eros Ramazzotti, Sting, Laura Pausini and Bryan Adams.