My first interview as a music journalist happened on July 17, 1991. It changed a lot: On the day, John Coltrane passed away (24 years earlier, in 1967) I met Carlos Santana in Cologne, at the Tanzbrunnen, an open air venue, close to the Rhein river. First date with a longtime idol, a guy who wrote the soundtrack of my teens and accompanied my whole life … that was a very unique experience. The interview was published in Germany’s #1 musicians magazine Gitarre & Bass, issue 09/1991. Unfortunately they deleted their online archive – without any reason.
But you can download another article including my two Santana interviews here!
This seems to be 35 years ago … Carlos celebrates his 79. birthday on July 20, 2026. Congrats & thank you!