Orianthi Discusses Santana's 'Sacred Fire: Live in South America' — The Record That Changed My Life

Orianthi chooses (and discusses) the record that changed her life.

Santana
Sacred Fire: Live In South America (1993)

“There’s just so much wonderful soloing throughout that entire concert—really inspired soloing—and that inspired me to want to play electric guitar. I had been playing since I was six, but I was studying classical guitar and just strumming at that point.

"When I was around 11, my dad took me to see Santana live, and then I got Sacred Fire, and everything changed for me. My dad is actually an amazing guitarist, and he always had an incredible record collection, which is how I discovered things like Jimi Hendrix and Santana. I’ll always be grateful for that.

“Everything about that album and the concert, which I had on video tape, changed my life. The band was amazing; the energy of the crowd was incredible. It’s just a really special performance. I actually wore out the video from pausing it so many times because I was trying to learn all of his solos.”