In a way, the history of Chicano rock is a love story—one between Mexican-Americans and Anglo rock culture. Chicano heroes started popping up in the U.S.’s first generation of rock ‘n’ roll, and ever since, their influence has helped shape the genre. In 1958, a young Angeleno by the name of Ritchie Valens took a traditional son jarocho wedding song, plugged in his electric guitar and created a legacy in “La Bamba”. Mixing Mexican conjunto rhythms with snarling garage riffage, Dallas trailblazers Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs sparked a dance-floor frenzy in the jukebox era with “Wooly Bully”, a bilingual hit that peaked at No. 2 on the American charts. And at the apex of hippiedom, migrant kids ? and the Mysterians inspired punk rock. Carlos Santana’s piercing guitar outbursts ripe with tropical grooves and lowrider funk made history at Woodstock, and ever since, he’s continued to rewrite the rock ‘n’ roll playbook.