Marcus “The Magnificent” Malone may not be a household name, but he was the drummer for Carlos Santana’s band several decades ago.
Santana reunited with Malone, who is homeless in Oakland, this week.
According to KRON-TV, one of its reporters ran into Malone while they were working on a story about illegal dumping. The reporter, Stanley Roberts, said that Malone claimed Santana got its start in his mother’s garage in the 1960s.
Malone played the conga drums on Santana’s first album but he left the band before it played at Woodstock because he was sent to prison.
“At one time I was with the Santana band, the original Santana blues band,” Malone was quoted as saying. “Now I’m homeless and on the streets.”
The KRON video showed a reporter knocking on a trailer before leading him out to Santana. “Marcus, it’s an honor to be in your presence, man,” said Santana, adding that “we always cherished you.”
“We’ll hook up together, man,” he said.
