In a Local Spins interview, lead singer and trombonist Ray Greene takes about his thrilling gig with Santana, which plays Acrisure Amphitheater on Monday with The Doobie Brothers.
Heading Back to Grand Rapids: Santana last played West Michigan in 2014. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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For Ray Greene, getting an offer to join Santana was the chance of a lifetime. His boss told him so.
Only thing is, his boss was Emilio Castillo, leader of Tower of Power, and Greene was the lead singer for the band. Nonetheless, Castillo told Greene he had to take the gig, even though Castillo knew it meant his band would be looking for a new lead vocalist.
Greene wasn’t planning on going anywhere. He enjoyed fronting the iconic funk-soul band and playing his trombone from time to time. But life had other plans.
“I got a DM from Carlos’ camp indicating he was interested in speaking with me. The previous summer, we were doing a tour with Journey and Steve Miller. We played San Francisco, and a couple of Carlos’ management were at the show; they were friends with the Journey people.
“They said Carlos was looking to make some changes,” Greene continues. They asked him to prepare three or four Santana songs and come to Las Vegas for an audition. Apparently, they liked what they heard, as they asked Greene to sing with the band that same night.
Gig of a Lifetime: Ray Greene on stage. (Courtesy Photo)
When he approached Castillo, the saxophonist took it in stride, telling Greene to pursue the opportunity and wishing him well. “Emilio said, ‘You’ve gotta take the gig.’ It was one of the most excruciating decisions I’ve ever had to make. It became a business decision,” he says.
“I grew up with Tower of Power. At Berklee I was in a horn band that did TOP tracks. Lenny Williams (perhaps TOP’s best-loved lead vocalists) is one of my favorite singers of all time. I’m incredibly blessed to have been part of both – they’re legendary.”
By almost any measure, Santana is one of the most successful rock bands of all time. From its show-stopping turn at Woodstock in 1969 to a bevy of hits in the ’70s, a rebirth in 1999 with “Smooth” and the album “Supernatural” garnering eight GRAMMY awards, to a still-growing discography of more than 30 recordings, Santana boasts a loyal listenership and audience.
Late last month, he released a new single, “Mi Gran Amor (My Great Love),” with Becky G — a track that racked up more than 780,000 listens on Spotify in just 12 days. Scroll down for the official lyric video.
Carlos Santana’s explorations of Latin percussion-heavy beats with his soaring guitar has seen him and his band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Santana plays Acrisure Amphitheater on Monday (June 15) with The Doobie Brothers, part of a tour that includes 40 shows across the U.S. this summer. Tickets, $49-$268.50, are available online here. (The bands also play Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston on June 18. Tickets here.)
A ‘DIFFERENT LEVEL OF EXPOSURE’ AND MORE MUSICALITY
“Santana is so completely different. It stresses different parts of my musicality,” says Greene, including having to learn to sing in Spanish. “There’s a lot of group singing. It’s limiting but also a good challenge. Over the years he (Santana) has given me more space. It’s a matter of trust.
“Now I’m able to fit in as part of the group. I’m not The Guy.”
Greene entered Berklee College of Music as a trombonist, though after graduating began singing seriously as well. After earning his degree, Greene pursued a variety of musical opportunities. He toured as a trombonist with Rick James before landing the gig with Tower of Power as lead vocalist.
Greene: ‘I still have to pinch myself.’ (Courtesy Photo)
“Tower of Power was where I got my start as a touring musician. I was only there a couple years, though I’ve been back a couple times,” says Greene. “Jordan John (current TOP lead vocalist – the third one since Greene’s departure in 2016) is the focal point. He’s the pivot man. I loved that role with Tower. There’s a lot of pressure. I got to tell the great stories Emilio and Doc have written. With Carlos I feature more of my musicality, a lot of trombone and percussion.”
Despite his success and mutual admiration with Castillo and the rest of the band, he signed on with Santana. The gig put Greene on another level. Start with more money and fewer shows: Greene says he did 150-200 dates a year for TOP, compared with 75 or 80 for Santana.
When it’s suggested that maybe another difference is the level of hotels the band stays in, Green laughingly agrees. “We stay at the Four Seasons. We charter all our flights,” he says.
Still, Greene admits there are aspects of his tenure with Tower of Power that he misses. Even riding the bus. “I always longed for that, to be on a tour bus. I loved it,” he says.
“With Carlos, it’s a different level of exposure. He made his mark worldwide culturally and commercially. I still have to pinch myself – five feet off to my right is one of the legendary performers from Woodstock.
“What I really appreciate is these are the best cats,” he says of the band, which includes Cindy Blackman Santana on drums, Karl Perazza and Paoli Mejias on percussion, David K Mathews on keyboards, Benny Rietveld on bass and Tommy Anthony on guitar. While Greene sings and plays trombone, he says fellow singer Andy Vargas is the primary vocalist. “Andy is the main guy. Over 20 years he’s been the face of the band.
“We sing in tandem a lot of times. I also play a lot of trombone on the gig.”
Greene says Santana draws a cross section of listeners. “They’re in their 20s and their 70s. That’s his audience,” Greene says. “He’s had hit records across decades. He’s now reaching a brand-new audience.”
It’s likely the audience will recognize most of the music, but Greene says there are almost always some songs from outside his catalog. That was true at the beginning of Santana’s career and is still true today. “’Oye Como Va,’ ‘Black Magic Woman’ were covers,” Greene says. “A Santana concert now might have his classic songs, might have some Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, things he’s influenced and inspired by. He finds a way to take things and put his spin on it and make it a Santana song.”
VIDEO: Santana with Ray Greene (Live)
VIDEO: Santana, Becky G, “Mi Gran Amor”ra
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