Carlos Santana met Neil Schon after 43 years—what followed healed both hearts! HT
The last time Carlos Santana and Neil Sha had spoken to each other was backstage at a concert in 1973 when their relationship as mentor and student had ended in a painful disagreement that neither man had ever fully processed or resolved. Now, 43 years later, Carlos found himself standing in the green room of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, staring across the crowded room at a silver-haired man he almost didn’t recognize as the teenage guitar prodigy he had once considered like a
son. Neil Shawn was there with Jouri who were being inducted that night while Carlos was presenting an award to another band entirely. The two men had become legends in their own right had achieved everything they had dreamed of as young musicians. But there was still something unfinished between them. Something that had been left hanging in the air for over four decades.
What happened when they finally approached each other that night would heal wounds that had never properly closed and remind both men why their musical connection had been so powerful that its loss had left a permanent scar on both their hearts. The separation between Carlos and Neil had begun in the early 1970s when Neil was just 17 years old and already established as one of the most promising young guitarists in rock music.
He had joined Santana in 1971 as a second lead guitarist, bringing a harder rock edge to Carlos’s Latin influence spiritual approach. For 2 years, they had created music together that pushed both musicians into new territories, with Neil’s aggressive rock sensibilities complimenting Carlos’s more meditative style. But by 1973, creative differences had begun to create tension within the band.
Neil was eager to explore a more commercial rock direction, while Carlos was becoming increasingly interested in jazz fusion and spiritual themes. The two approaches weren’t necessarily incompatible, but they required a level of communication and compromise that both men, in their pride and artistic passion, had found difficult to achieve.
The final break had come after a heated argument about the direction of the band’s next album. Neil had accused Carlos of being too focused on spiritual concepts that alienated rock audiences, while Carlos had suggested that Neil was more interested in commercial success than artistic growth. Words had been said that neither man had meant, but pride had prevented either from apologizing or attempting reconciliation.
Neil had left Santana shortly after and eventually formed Journey, which became one of the most successful rock bands in history. Carlos had continued his own path, exploring jazz fusion, world music, and the spiritual approach to guitar that had always been at the heart of his musical identity.
Both men had achieved remarkable success, but the loss of their musical partnership had left a wound that never quite healed. Over the decades, they had occasionally crossed paths at industry events or awards shows, but their interactions had been polite and distant. Both carried the weight of unresolved feelings and unspoken words that had accumulated over more than four decades of separation.
Now, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame green room, Carlos watched Neil from across the room, noting how the years had changed the young man he had once mentored. Neil’s hair was silver now, his face lined with the experiences of a lifetime in rock and roll. But his posture and the way he held himself still carried the confidence and intensity that Carlos remembered from their time together.
Carlos had been thinking about Neil more frequently in recent years, especially as he reflected on his own legacy and the musicians he had influenced. He often wondered what might have been different if they had handled their disagreement with more maturity and less ego. He wondered if Neil ever thought about their time together.
If he missed the musical connection they had shared. Neil, standing with his Journey bandmates near the bar, had noticed Carlos’s presence almost immediately upon entering the room. He had been expecting this moment for years, knowing that eventually they would find themselves at the same industry event, forced to confront the unfinished business between them.
Neil had achieved everything he had dreamed of as a young musician, international fame, millions of records sold, sold out stadiums around the world. But there had always been a part of him that wondered what would have happened if he had stayed with Carlos. if they had found a way to bridge their artistic differences instead of allowing them to drive them apart.
As the evening progressed, both men found themselves stealing glances at each other across the room, each waiting for the other to make the first move toward a conversation they had been avoiding for 43 years. The moment finally came when Carlos was walking back from the restroom and found himself face to face with Neil in the hallway outside the green room.
There was no avoiding each other now. No crowd to hide in. No easy excuse to walk away. “Hello, Neil,” Carlos said quietly, his voice carrying a mixture of warmth and uncertainty. Carlos, Neil replied, extending his hand in a gesture that was both formal and cautious. Congratulations on the presentation tonight.
You looked good up there. They shook hands, and for a moment, both men seemed surprised by the surge of emotion that simple contact brought. This was the first time they had touched in over four decades, and the familiarity of it was overwhelming. You too, Carlos replied. Journeys induction is welld deserved. You’ve built something incredible.
Thank you, Neil said, and then after a moment’s hesitation added. I’ve been watching your career, too. The Supernatural album, the collaborations with younger artists. You’ve stayed relevant in a way that not many of us have managed. Carlos smiled slightly. We’re both still here, still playing. That’s something, isn’t it? Neil nodded and for a moment they stood in the hallway in comfortable silence, both processing the strange experience of talking to each other after so many years. Neil Carlos said finally, I’ve
been thinking about you a lot lately, about us, about what happened back then. Neil’s expression grew more serious. Yeah, me too. Especially lately getting inducted tonight, it makes you think about the journey, you know, all the people who were part of it. Do you have a few minutes? Carlos asked. Maybe we could find somewhere quiet to talk.
Neil glanced back toward the green room where his bandmates were celebrating, then looked at Carlos. Yeah, I’d like that. They found an empty conference room down the hall from the main event, away from the noise and celebration. Carlos closed the door behind them and suddenly they were alone together for the first time in 43 years.
“This is strange,” Neil said with a slight laugh. “I’ve imagined this conversation so many times over the years, but now that we’re here, I don’t know where to start.” Carlos sat down in one of the conference room chairs. Maybe we start with the truth. I’ve carried guilt about how things ended between us for 43 years.
I was your mentor. I was supposed to be the wiser one, but I let my pride get in the way of what was best for both of us. Neil sat down across from Carlos, surprised by the directness of his admission. Carlos, you weren’t the only one with pride. I was 17 years old and thought I knew everything. I was impatient. I was ambitious.
And I probably said things I shouldn’t have said. We both did, Carlos agreed. But I was the older one, the more experienced one. I should have found a way to bridge our differences instead of letting them drive us apart. Neil was quiet for a moment, processing Carlos’s words. You know what I’ve realized over the years? We were both right about what we wanted musically.
Journey became the commercial rock band I was dreaming about, and you continued exploring the spiritual and world music elements that were calling to you. Maybe the problem wasn’t our different visions. Maybe the problem was thinking we had to choose between them. Carlos nodded thoughtfully. I’ve thought about that, too.
What if we had found a way to do both? What if we had created space for your rock sensibilities and my spiritual explorations in the same band? I think about that all the time. Some of my favorite musical memories are from our time together. The way we could communicate through our guitars, the way your spirituality would elevate my more aggressive playing.
There was magic there, Carlos. Carlos felt emotion rising in his throat. There was magic. I’ve never had that kind of musical partnership with anyone else. What we created together was bigger than either of us alone. I’ve missed that, Neil said quietly. journey has been incredible and I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished.
But there’s always been a part of me that missed the musical conversations we used to have. The way we could push each other into new territories. I’ve missed it, too, Carlos replied. More than I’ve ever admitted to anyone, including myself. They sat in silence for a moment, both men processing the weight of what they were sharing with each other.
Carlos Neil said finally, “I need to tell you something. When I left the band, when we had that fight, I was hurt. I felt like you were rejecting not just my musical ideas, but me personally. It took me years to understand that you were trying to stay true to your own artistic vision, not trying to diminish mine.” Carlos felt tears forming in his eyes.
Neil, I never wanted to reject you. You were like a son to me. Losing you was one of the most painful experiences of my career. I’ve regretted how I handled that situation every day since. I know that now, Neil said. But at 17, I couldn’t see it that way. All I could see was that my mentor was telling me my ideas weren’t good enough.
Your ideas were brilliant, Carlos said emphatically. They were just different from what I was exploring at the time. If I had been wiser, more mature, I would have found a way to honor both our visions. Neil smiled sadly. We were both young in our own ways, weren’t we? You were young in your spiritual journey. I was young in life.
Neither of us had the perspective to handle the situation with the wisdom it required. Exactly, Carlos agreed. But we have that perspective now. Neil looked at Carlos with curiosity. What are you thinking? Carlos hesitated for a moment, then spoke from his heart. I’m thinking that 43 years is too long for two people who created magic together to stay apart.
I’m thinking that maybe it’s not too late to find out if that magic is still there. Neil’s eyes lit up with interest. You mean play together again? I mean, see if we can still have those musical conversations that used to inspire both of us. Not as a replacement for Journey or My Band, but as two old friends rediscovering what we once shared.
Neil was quiet for a long moment, considering Carlos’s proposal. I’d like that, he said finally. I’d like that very much. Carlos reached across the table and placed his hand on Neil’s arm. Then, let’s make it happen. Let’s see if we can turn 43 years of separation into the foundation for something even better. Neil covered Carlos’s hand with his own.
You know what? I think we’re both wise enough now to make it work this time. 6 months later, Carlos and Neil met at Carlos’s home studio in Northern California for their first musical session together since 1973. Both men were nervous, unsure if the magic they remembered would still be there after so many years and so much life experience.
Carlos plugged in his Gibson SG while Neil set up his Les Paul. They looked at each other across the studio, both thinking about the 17-year-old and 30-year-old versions of themselves who had created music together in this same room decades earlier. “What should we play?” Neil asked. Carlos smiled. Let’s just start with a conversation and see where it leads us.
Carlos began playing a gentle meditative melody, something that came from his heart rather than his repertoire. Neil listened for a moment, feeling his way into the music, then joined in with complimentary phrases that enhanced and supported what Carlos was creating. Within minutes, it was as if the 43 years had melted away. Their guitars were speaking to each other in the same language they had developed as mentor and student, but now enriched by decades of individual growth and experience.
Neil’s rock sensibilities had matured into something deeper and more sophisticated, while Carlos’s spiritual approach had gained the wisdom that comes from a lifetime of musical exploration. They played together for three hours that day, creating music that was simultaneously familiar and completely new. It was the sound of two master musicians who had found their way back to each other, who had transformed separation into reunion, regret into redemption.
As they packed up their instruments, both men were smiling with the joy of musical rediscovery. Carlos. Neil said, “Thank you for reaching out that night at the Hall of Fame. I didn’t realize how much I needed this until it happened.” Carlos embraced Neil warmly. “Thank you for being willing to try again. This feels like coming home.
” Neil nodded, understanding exactly what Carlos meant. “It does. It feels like we’re completing something that was left unfinished.” “Not completing?” Carlos corrected gently. “Beginning. We’re beginning the next chapter of a musical friendship that was interrupted but never really ended. Since that day, Carlos and Neil have continued to meet regularly, creating music together, and rebuilding the mentor student relationship that had meant so much to both of them.
They’d recorded several songs together, performed at a few special events, and most importantly, they’ve healed wounds that had been festering for over four decades. When asked about their reunion, Carlos often says, “Sometimes the most important conversations are the ones we wait 43 years to have.” Neil and I needed to become the people we are now before we could appreciate what we had then.
Neil, for his part, credits the reunion with giving him a new perspective on his entire career. Carlos taught me that success isn’t just about the music you make, but about the relationships you build and maintain. Getting him back in my life has been worth more than any album or tour. Their story has become an inspiration to musicians everywhere, proof that it’s never too late to heal old wounds, rebuild burned bridges, and rediscover the magic that brought people together in the first place.