Jewish Press of Tampa

Santana feels at home viewing rock exhibit at Holocaust museum


During a private tour, Carlos Santana examines items in the “Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution” exhibit.

During a private tour, Carlos Santana examines items in the “Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution” exhibit.

The Florida Holocaust Museum hosted a special visitor on April 17 – Carlos Santana.

Santana performed the following day at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg and stopped by the museum to see the exhibition Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution, which features some of Santana’s own memorabilia, including a guitar and worn satchel.

This exhibition, on display at the museum through June 30th, explores the extraordinary life of renowned music promoter Bill Graham who helped launch and promote the careers of countless rock & roll artist, including Santana. It also traces the indomitable spirit of a man brought to the United States as an 11-year-old Jewish refugee fleeing the Nazis, fueling a lifelong passion and advocacy for justice. Graham died in 1991 at age 60.

Michael Igel, board chair of the Florida Holocaust Museum, accompanied Santana on the tour of the exhibit and described the experience as “thrilling.”

“We had always heard that Bill had a profound impact on Santana’s life, and that they shared a father-son relationship. From the beginning of his tour of the exhibition, it was clear that their bond was exceptionally tight. For the first part of his tour, Santana seemed reflective, and spent most of his time soaking in the artifacts from Bill’s life. He even mentioned to me how terribly he misses having Bill in his life,” Igel said.

“Every so often, he would share an interesting, personal tidbit about an item. As we progressed through the exhibition, he became energized, and started sharing all sorts of wonderful stories about Bill, his life and their life together. At one point, my wife Melanie asked, ‘Do you feel like you’re at home?’ He quickly replied, ‘I never left,’” Igel continued. “I am so pleased that we had an opportunity to show Santana that he is a material part of the story that has given us the ability to teach the lessons of the Holocaust through the lens of rock n’ roll. He loved it.”

The Holocaust Museum is located at 55 5th St. S in downtown St. Petersburg. For information on hours and admission price, call (727) 820-0100 or go to www.flholocaustmuseum.org

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