Join Santana for a happy birthday

Fans of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana will be helping him celebrate when he plays the NEC...on his 61st birthday.

Birmingham will be alive to a melting pot of multi-cultural sounds as Santana brings his 10-piece band to the NEC Arena on Friday June 20.

Carlos Santana has spent four decades spreading his musical word with a unique and instantly identifiable blend of rock, jazz, blues, soul, salsa and Latin American music.

A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he has sold more than 90 million records, and performed to over 100 million people.

Santana has won ten Grammy awards, nine alone for his 36th album - the blockbuster 1999 album Supernatural - which has sold more than 25 million copies and features the worldwide smash hit Smooth.

His most recent Grammy was for the single The Game Of Love from his 2001 album Shaman.

Santana's latest album, All That I Am, continues the Mexican-born guitarist's tradition of working with all manner of other musicians on a variety of collaborations, including Mary J Blige, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joss Stone.

Since 1969 Santana has released a string of albums and hit singles, including Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Smooth and Maria Maria, enjoying a worldwide resurgence in popularity after the release of the groundbreaking Supernatural.

Rolling Stone placed Santana at number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.

Asked about the meaning behind his All That I Am album, Santana says: "I would like people to understand this saying, 'May the heavens open up and the angels bless each and every one with the deep awareness of your own light'. If you can do that, you will be a better person.

"You will transcend being Christian or being Muslim or being Hindu, because when you die, they're not going to care about that stuff on the other side. They only care about how much light, joy and love you shared while you were on this planet.

"So, 'All that I am' means that I'm not afraid. I have the courage to say I transcended and graduated being American or Mexican or all that kind of stuff. I have no allegiance or alliance to any flag or country."

* Santana appears at Birmingham NEC Arena on Friday, June 20. Tickets cost £38-48 plus booking fees. Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.santana.com