In celebration of Roy Orbison’s 75th birthday today we have posted his complete record price guide according to Goldmine’s Record Database.

And don’t forget to enter Goldmine’s Celebrate Roy Orbison’s Birthday Giveaway and win yourself some new Orbison discs. Then there is this month’s Goldmine Giveaway where we give away recent Orbison and Bob Dylan releases from Sony Legacy.

12-Inch Singles

VIRGIN
❑ PR 2593 [DJ] You Got It (same on both sides) 1989 $12.00
❑ PR 2667 [DJ] She’s a Mystery to Me (same on both sides) 1989 15.00

45s
ASYLUM
❑ 46048 Tears/Easy Way Out 1979 5.00
❑ 46541 Poor Baby/Lay It Down 1979 5.00

ERIC
❑ 7101 Pretty Paper/Oh Pretty Woman 197? 4.00

JE-WEL
❑ 101 Ooby Dooby/Tryin’ to Get to You 1956 4000.
—As “The Teen Kings”; with “Vocal: Roy Oribson” credit (spelled incorrectly). VG 1500 ; VG+ 2750
❑ 101 Ooby Dooby/Tryin’ to Get to You 1956 4000.
—As “The Teen Kings”; with “Vocal: Roy Orbison” credit (spelled correctly). VG 1500; VG+ 2750

MERCURY
❑ 73610 Sweet Mama Blue/Heartache 1974 8.00
❑ 73652 Hung Up onYou/Spanish Nights 1975 6.00
❑ 73705 It’s Lonely/Still 1975 6.00

MGM
❑ CS9-5 Celebrity Scene: Roy Orbison 1967 100.00
—Box set of five singles (13756-13760). Price includes box, all 5 singles, jukebox title strips, bio. Records are sometimes found by themselves, so they are also listed separately.
❑ 13386 Ride Away/Wonderin’ 1965 10.00
❑ 13386 [PS] Ride Away/Wonderin’ 1965 20.00
❑ 13410 Crawling Back/If You Can’t Say Something Nice 1965 10.00
❑ 13410 [PS] Crawling Back/If You Can’t Say Something Nice 1965 20.00
❑ 13446 Breakin’ Up Is Breakin’ My Heart/Wait 1966 10.00
❑ 13446 [PS] Breakin’ Up Is Breakin’ My Heart/Wait 1966 20.00
❑ 13498 Twinkle Toes/Where Is Tomorrow 1966 10.00
❑ 13498 [PS] Twinkle Toes/Where Is Tomorrow 1966 20.00
❑ 13549 Too Soon to Know/You’ll Never Be Sixteen Again 1966 10.00
❑ 13549 [PS] Too Soon to Know/You’ll Never Be Sixteen Again 1966 100.00
❑ 13634 Communication Breakdown/ Going Back to Gloria 1966 10.00
❑ 13685 So Good/Memories 1967 10.00
❑ 13756 Ride Away/Crawlin’ Back 1967 15.00
—Part of Celebrity Scene CS9-5
❑ 13757 Breakin’ Up Is Breakin’ My Heart/Too Soon to Know 1967 15.00
—Part of Celebrity Scene CS9-5
❑ 13758 Twinkle Toes/Where Is Tomorrow? 1967 15.00
—Part of Celebrity Scene CS9-5
❑ 13759 Sweet Dreams/Going Back to Gloria 1967 15.00
—Part of Celebrity Scene CS9-5
❑ 13760 You’ll Never Be Sixteen Again/ There Won’t Be Many Coming Home 1967 15.00
—Part of Celebrity Scene CS9-5

❑ 13764 Cry Softly Lonely One/Pistolero 1967 10.00

❑ 13764 [PS] Cry Softly Lonely One/Pistolero 1967 20.00
❑ 13817 She/Here Comes the Rain Baby 1967 10.00
❑ 13889 Shy Away/Born to Be Loved by You 1968 10.00
❑ 13950 Flowers/Walk On 1968 10.00
❑ 13991 Heartache/Sugar Man 1968 10.00
❑ 14039 Southbound Jericho Parkway/My Friend 1969 10.00
❑ 14079 Penny Arcade/Tennessee Own My Soul 1969 10.00
❑ 14105 How Do You Start Over/She Cheats on Me 1970 10.00
❑ 14121 So Young/If I Had a Woman Like You 1970 10.00
❑ 14293 Close Again/Last Night 1971 10.00
❑ 14358 Changes/God Loves You 1972 10.00
❑ 14413 Remember the Good/Harlem Woman 1972 10.00
❑ 14413 Remember the Good/If Only for a While 1972 10.00
❑ 14441 I Can Read Between the Lines/Memphis, Tennessee 1972 10.00
❑ 14552 Rain Rain (Coming Down)/Sooner or Later 1973 10.00
❑ 14626 I Wanna Live/You Lay So Easy on My Mind 1973 10.00

MONUMENT
❑ 45-200 (I’m a) Southern Man/Born to Love Me 1976 5.00
❑ 45-215 Drifting Away/Under Suspicion 1977 5.00
❑ 409 Paper Boy/With the Bug 1959 80.00
—White label with vertical lines
❑ 412 Uptown/Pretty One 1959 30.00
❑ 421 Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)/Here Comes That Song Again 1960 25.00
❑ 425 Blue Angel/Today’s Teardrops 1960 20.00
❑ 433 I’m Hurtin’/I Can’t Stop Loving You 1960 20.00
❑ 433 [PS] I’m Hurtin’/I Can’t Stop Loving You 1960 120.00
❑ 438 Running Scared/Love Hurts 1961 20.00
❑ 438 [PS] Running Scared/Love Hurts 1961 40.00
❑ 447 Crying/Candy Man 1961 20.00
❑ 447 [PS] Crying/Candy Man 1961 40.00
❑ 456 Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)/The Actress 1962 20.00
❑ 456 [PS] Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)/The Actress 1962 40.00
❑ 461 The Crowd/Mama 1962 20.00
❑ 461 [PS] The Crowd/Mama 1962 40.00
❑ 467 Leah/Workin’ for the Man 1962 20.00
❑ 467 [PS] Leah/Workin’ for the Man 1962 40.00
❑ 503 Paper Boy/With the Bug 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 409
❑ 505 Uptown/Pretty One 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 412
❑ 508 Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)/Here Comes That Song Again 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 421
❑ 509 Blue Angel/Today’s Teardrops 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 425
❑ 510 I’m Hurtin’/I Can’t Stop Loving You 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 433
❑ 514 Running Scared/Love Hurts 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 438
❑ 517 Crying/Candy Man 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 447
❑ 519 Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)/The Actress 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 456
❑ 520 The Crowd/Mama 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 461
❑ 521 Leah/Working for the Man 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 467; note that the B-side title is slightly different here than on 467
❑ 526 In Dreams/Shahdaroba 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 806
❑ 527 Falling/Distant Drums 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 815
❑ 530 Mean Woman Blues/Blue Bayou 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 824
❑ 531 Pretty Paper/Beautiful Dreamer 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 830
❑ 533 It’s Over/Indian Wedding 196? 12.00
—Reissue of 837
❑ 806 In Dreams/Shahdaroba 1963 20.00
❑ 806 [PS] In Dreams/Shahdaroba 1963 40.00
❑ 815 Falling/Distant Drums 1963 20.00
❑ 815 [PS] Falling/Distant Drums 1963 50.00
❑ 824 Mean Woman Blues/Blue Bayou 1963 20.00

❑ 830 Pretty Paper/Beautiful Dreamer 1963 20.00
❑ 837 It’s Over/Indian Wedding 1964 20.00
❑ 837 [PS] It’s Over/Indian Wedding 1964 40.00
❑ 851 Pretty Woman/Yo Te Amo Maria 1964 30.00
—Original title
❑ 851 Oh Pretty Woman/Yo Te Amo Maria 1964 20.00
—Revised title
❑ 873 Goodnight/Only with You 1965 15.00
❑ 891 (Say) You’re My Girl/Sleepy Hollow 1965 15.00
❑ 906 Let the Good Times Roll/Distant Drums 1965 15.00
❑ 939 Lana/Our Summer Song 1966 15.00
❑ 1900 Running Scared/Love Hurts 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1901 Crying/Candy Man 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1902 Leah/Workin’ for the Man 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1903 Mean Woman Blues/Blue Bayou 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1904 Falling/Distant Drums 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1906 Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)/Uptown 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1907 Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)/I’m Hurtin’ 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1908 In Dreams/The Crowd 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1910 Oh Pretty Woman/It’s Over 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1915 Blue Angel/Paper Boy 197? 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 1936 Pretty Paper/Beautiful Dreamer 1976 4.00
—”Golden Series” reissue
❑ 8690 Belinda/All These Chains 1976 5.00

NORTON
❑ 45-846 Domino/Everybody’s Tryin’ to Kiss My Baby 2001 4.00
—B-side by Gene Ross; includes custom company sleeve; Sun Records outtakes

RCA VICTOR
❑ 47-7381 Sweet and Innocent/Seems to Me 1958 40.00
❑ 47-7447 Almost Eighteen/Julie 1959 40.00

SUN
❑ 242 Ooby Dooby/Go! Go! Go! 1956 100.00
❑ 251 Rockhouse/You’re My Baby 1956 60.00
❑ 265 Devil Doll/Sweet and Easy to Love 1957 80.00
❑ 284 Chicken Hearted/I Like Love 1958 50.00
❑ 353 Devil Doll/Sweet and Easy to Love 1960 250.00

VIRGIN
❑ 99159 Oh Pretty Woman/Claudette 1989 3.00
❑ 99159 [PS] Oh Pretty Woman/Claudette 1989 3.00
❑ 99202 California Blue/In Dreams 1989 3.00
❑ 99202 [PS] California Blue/In Dreams 1989 3.00
❑ 99227 She’s a Mystery to Me/Dream Baby 1989 3.00
❑ 99227 [PS] She’s a Mystery to Me/Dream Baby 1989 3.00
❑ 99245 You Got It/The Only One 1989 3.00
❑ 99245 You Got It/Crying 1989 4.00
—B-side with k.d. lang
❑ 99245 [PS] You Got It 1989 3.00
—The same sleeve may have come with both issues of the 45
❑ 99388 Crying/Falling 1988 3.00
—A-side with k.d. lang
❑ 99388 [PS] Crying/Falling 1988 3.00
❑ 99434 In Dreams/Leah 1987 3.00
❑ 99434 [PS] In Dreams/Leah 1987 4.00

WARNER BROS.
❑ 49262 That Lovin’ You Feeling Again/Lola 1980 5.00
—A-side with Emmylou Harris; B-side by Craig Hundley

7-Inch Extended Plays
MONUMENT
❑ MSP-2 Crying/Our Summer Song/Let’s Make a Memory//Lana/Loneliness/Night Life 1962 100.00
—Probably a jukebox single; small hole, plays at 33 1/3 rpm;picture sleeve is unconfirmed
❑ MSP-003 In Dreams/Lonely Wine/Shadharoba//Dream/Blue Bayou/Gigolette (They Call You) 1963 50.00
—Stereo jukebox issue; small hole, plays at 33 1/3 rpm
❑ MSP-003 [PS] Roy Orbison 1963 50.00
❑ SSP-512 Oh, Pretty Woman/Dance/Let the Good Times Roll//(I Get So) Sentimental/Wedding Day/I’d Be a Legend in My Time 1965 40.00
—Jukebox issue; small hole, plays at 33 1/3 rpm
❑ SSP-512 [PS] Orbisongs, Volume One 1965 40.00

Albums
ACCORD
❑ SN-7150 Ooby Dooby 1981 8.00

ASYLUM
❑ 6E-198 Laminar Flow 1979 12.00

BUCKBOARD
❑ BBS-1015 Roy Orbison’s Golden Hits 197? 10.00

CANDELITE
❑ P2 12946 [(2)] The Living Legend of Roy Orbison 1976 15.00

DCC COMPACT CLASSICS
❑ LPZ-2042 [(2)] The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison 1997 120.00
—Audiophile vinyl

DESIGN
❑ DLP-164 [M] Orbiting with Roy Orbison 196? 15.00
❑ DLPS-164 [R] Orbiting with Roy Orbison 196? 10.00

HALLMARK
❑ SHM-824 The Exciting Roy Orbison 197? 8.00

HITS UNLIMITED
❑ 233-0 My Spell on You 1982 8.00

MERCURY
❑ SRM-1-1045 I’m Still in Love with You 1975 12.00

MGM
❑ E-4308 [M] There Is Only One Roy Orbison 1965 25.00
❑ SE-4308 [S] There Is Only One Roy Orbison 1965 35.00
❑ E-4322 [M] The Orbison Way 1965 25.00
❑ SE-4322 [S] The Orbison Way 1965 35.00
❑ E-4379 [M] The Classic Roy Orbison 1966 25.00
❑ SE-4379 [S] The Classic Roy Orbison 1966 35.00
❑ E-4424 [M] Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson 1967 25.00
❑ SE-4424 [S] Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson 1967 35.00
❑ E-4514 [M] Cry Softly, Lonely One 1967 25.00
❑ SE-4514 [S] Cry Softly, Lonely One 1967 35.00
❑ SE-4636 The Many Moods of Roy Orbison 1969 25.00
❑ SE-4659 The Great Songs of Roy Orbison 1970 25.00
❑ SE-4683 Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way 1970 25.00
❑ SE-4835 Roy Orbison Sings 1972 15.00
❑ SE-4867 Memphis 1972 15.00
❑ SE-4934 Milestones 1973 15.00
❑ ST 90454 [S] There Is Only One Roy Orbison 1965 40.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ T 90454 [M] There Is Only One Roy Orbison 1965 40.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ ST-90631 [S] The Orbison Way 1965 35.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ T-90631 [M] The Orbison Way 1965 35.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ ST-90928 [S] The Classic Roy Orbison 1966 35.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ T-90928 [M] The Classic Roy Orbison 1966 35.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ ST-91173 [S] Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson 1967 35.00
—Capitol Record Club edition
❑ T-91173 [M] Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson 1967 35.00
—Capitol Record Club edition

MONUMENT
❑ M-4002 [M] Lonely and Blue 1961 150.00
❑ M-4007 [M] Crying 1962 120.00
❑ M-4009 [M] Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1962 50.00
❑ MC-6619 Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1977 12.00
❑ MC-6620 In Dreams 1977 12.00
❑ MC-6621 More of Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1977 12.00
❑ MC-6622 The Very Best of Roy Orbison 1977 12.00
❑ MG-7600 Regeneration 1976 15.00
❑ MLP-8000 [M] Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1963 30.00
❑ MLP-8003 [M] In Dreams 1963 50.00
—White and rainbow label
❑ MLP-8003 [M] In Dreams 1964 30.00
—Green and gold label
❑ MLP-8023 [M] Early Orbison 1964 30.00
❑ MLP-8024 [M] More of Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1964 30.00
❑ MLP-8035 [M] Orbisongs 1965 25.00
❑ MLP-8045 [M] The Very Best of Roy Orbison 1966 25.00
❑ MP-8600 [(2)] The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison 1977 16.00
❑ SM-14002 [S] Lonely and Blue 1961 600.00
❑ SM-14007 [S] Crying 1962 600.00
❑ SM-14009 [S] Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1962 80.00
❑ SLP-18000 [S] Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1963 40.00
❑ SLP-18003 [S] In Dreams 1963 100.00
—White and rainbow label

❑ SLP-18003 [S] In Dreams 1964 50.00
—Green and gold label
❑ SLP-18023 [S] Early Orbison 1964 50.00
❑ SLP-18024 [S] More of Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits 1964 40.00
❑ SLP-18035 [S] Orbisongs 1965 35.00
❑ SLP-18045 [P] The Very Best of Roy Orbison 1966 35.00
—”It’s Over” is rechanneled
❑ KZG 31484 [(2)]The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison 1972 25.00
❑ KWG 38384 [(2)]The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison 1982 10.00

RHINO
❑ R1 70711 The Classic Roy Orbison 1989 12.00
❑ R1 70916 The Sun Years 1989 15.00
❑ R1 71493 [(2)] For the Lonely: A Roy Orbison Anthology 1988 12.00

S&P
❑ 507 [(2)] The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison 2004 40.00
—Reissue on 180-gram vinyl

SUN
❑ 113 The Original Sound 1969 12.00
❑ LP-1260 [M] Roy Orbison at the Rock House 1961 600.00

TIME-LIFE
❑ SRNR 34 [(2)] Roy Orbison 1960-1965 1990 20.00
—Box set in “The Rock ‘n’ Roll Era” series

TRIP
❑ TLX-8505 The Best of Roy Orbison 197? 8.00

VIRGIN
❑ 90604 [(2)] In Dreams: The Greatest Hits 1987 12.00
—Re-recordings of his original hits

❑ 91058 Mystery Girl 1989 10.00

❑ 91295 A Black and White Night 1990 15.00

By Carol Anne Szel

He’s garnered two Platinum and 11 Gold records, won five Grammy Awards, and has earned 15 Top 40 Pop/Rock hits. After four decades in the music business and selling more than 70 million albums, B.J. Thomas (born Billy Joe Thomas) continues to sell out club venues across the country and around the world. With songs like his huge pop hits “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” Thomas was a main attraction with legendary Scepter Records from 1966-1972, in the network of name producers like Huey P. Meaux and Chips Moman, and helped master work from songwriters such as Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

“I think now it’s more of a high tech thing, it’s not a record shop thing,” B.J. Thomas told us when we caught up with this effervescent 68 year old singer-songwriter related  of today’s world of the music business. “Although they say now that like country fans are big on going to a record shop and getting the album and now they’re making more albums on vinyl. That whole experience with the big cover, bringing it back and putting it on the player, that’s what used to be part of the party back in the day.  Now it’s more of a download situation. I don’t think there’s any kind of negative about it; I think it’s just new.  You know technology is always expanding, that’s just the new way they do it, and so you’ve got to go with it.”

Thomas recorded such great songs as “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love,” “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” and so many more. We asked B.J. Thomas what albums influenced him.

I was a huge fan of Bobby Blue Bland “Two Steps from the Blues” was an album that was incredible to me.

Elvis album, the one with “Hound Dog.” That was a huge album for me.

James Brown “Live At The Apollo”

I was a huge fan of Jackie Wilson; I had as many records as I could get a hold of.

And during that time there was Little Richard, there was Chuck Berry, these people were very important, and of course when I was first starting I couldn’t even imagine singing their songs, but I listened to them a lot.

I was just a huge fan of the R&B singers, and of course Ray Charles was right in there.   You know I really never did openly do a country song until years later when I had “Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” in ’75.

I always wanted to be more of an R&B singer even though I guess the things I did were a little smoother and a little different. In listening to these guys, it just sounded to me so much like … not so much with Elvis — even though he made some beautiful records, I don’t think he ever mis-recorded anything or made anything that was really bad — but especially listening to Jackie Wilson and Ray Charles and Bobby Blue Bland, and especially I guess Bobby Bland, he just sounded like he believed every word he said. I would go see these guys perform live, they used to call them soul singers, and they just looked like they were actually baring their souls and believing every word they said.

That was something I took on, I said that was important to convey a real belief in what you are singing so people can really believe that, or really feel that you believe what you’re singing. So I think that was a real big element in my vocal work.

• Get Lester Bangs take on Elvis with “Elvis Presley: The Rebel Years”
• Learn music history with the book, “1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener’s Life List”
• Find out what your singles are worth with “Goldmine Price Guide to 45 RPM Records” on CD

A previously unknown live recording of a 21-year-old Bob Dylan will be released by Columbia Records/Legacy on digital, CD and vinyl on April 10. Taped at the Brandeis First Annual Folk Festival in Waltham, Massachusetts on May 10, 1963, “Bob Dylan In Concert – Brandeis University 1963″ captures the young artist on-stage, in front of an appreciative audience two weeks prior to the release of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” (May 27, 1963).

“The Bob Dylan In Concert – Brandeis University 1963″ concert tape was discovered recently in the archives of the noted music writer and Rolling Stone co-founder Ralph Gleason, where it sat on a shelf for more than forty years. “It had been forgotten, until it was found last year in the clearing of the house after my mother died,” said Toby Gleason, Ralph’s son. “It’s a seven inch reel-to-reel that sounds like it was taped from the mixing desk.”

Drawn from two sets that spring night at the Brandeis Folk Festival, tracks on “Bob Dylan In Concert – Brandeis University 1963″ include “Honey, Just Allow Me On More Chance” (incomplete), “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues,” “Ballad Of Hollis Brown,” “Masters of War,” “Talkin’ World War III Blues,” “Bob Dylan’s Dream,” and “Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues.”

Previously available as a limited time offer, “Bob Dylan In Concert – Brandeis University 1963″ is being reissued in response to overwhelming popular demand for a wide release. The new Columbia/Legacy edition features liner notes penned exclusively for this release by noted Bob Dylan scholar Michael Gray, author of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia and the three-volume “Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan,” provided an explication of the album’s seven songs and historical/cultural context for the performances.

“It’s a small miracle this recording exists,” Gray writes in his essay. “Clearly a professional recording…. (t)he Bob Dylan performance it captured, from way back when Kennedy was President and the Beatles hadn’t yet reached America, wasn’t even on fans’ radar…. It reveals him not at any Big Moment but giving a performance like his folk club sets of the period: repertoire from an ordinary working day….Dylan has leapt a creative canyon with this material….This is the last live performance we have of Bob Dylan before he becomes a star….”

Before his sold out show Carlos Santana stands at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. "This is ground zero for peace and love," he said proudly. Photos courtesy of Michael Bloom for Bethel Woods.

By Larissa Lytwyn

“Most people are prisoners, thinking only about the future or living in the past,” Carlos Santana famously stated. “They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins.” Forty-one years after his Woodstock debut, Santana returned to the Bethel, NY site July 17, sharing his moment as a bonafide rock legend. The original Woodstock site is now home to a booming cultural center, including the Bethel Woods Museum and an annual summer concert series.

Carlos Santana plays a sold out show at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Photo courtesy of Michael Bloom for Bethel Woods.

Santana took the stage to the opening chords of “Soul Sacrifice,” his career-launching tribute to Afro-Latino spirit. A montage of images from his Woodstock ’69 performance flashed behind him. Although Santana played the festival’s 25th anniversary in Saugerties, NY, this summer marked his official homecoming to the grounds that made him a music icon.

“It’s nice to meet again,” he murmured into his microphone.

Bodies jumping like flames, someone punched a beach ball overhead. It was Woodstock all over again: defiantly carefree. Santana opened his two-and-a-half-hour set with “Maria, Maria,” his 1999 number one hit from his smash album Supernatural.

The artist’s endurance is a testament to his spiritual philosophy. “We all have lights within us,” Santana remarked halfway through the show. These lights, he continued, feed God—and each other. “If it sounds like I am preaching,” he said dryly, “it is because I am.”

The guitarist’s inspiration from other performers is evident in his 2000 Grammy for Record of the Year for “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. Santana’s magic also scored Billboard-toppers for Chad Kroeger of Nickelback (“Why Don’t You and I”) and Michelle Branch (“The Game of Love”). He has also collaborated with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Sean Paul and Joss Stone.

Next, he wants to work on an album with 2010 tour mate Steve Winwood, a renowned fixture in the music industry for the last five decades. While Winwood’s solo hits include “Higher Love,” the Englishman also thrives on the power of artistic partnership. A highlight of his opening set July 17 was a soul-chilling rendition of “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” his hit with 1970s group Traffic.

In contrast to Winwood’s at times melancholy “blue-eyed soul,” Santana was a Latino dance party. Bodies throbbed under pulsating red, gold and purple lights to timeless hits including “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Como Va” and “Evil Ways.” Santana also paid homage to classic rock groups with stirring renditions of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm.”

Santana’s ten-piece band stayed firmly in the spotlight, including lengthy solos from drummer Dennis Chambers and guitarist Tommy Anthony. Vocalists Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay slipped easily from African rhythms into rock n’ roll grit. In the end, “love, peace and freedom” were still the answer, Santana said. These values were the Holy Trinity of contentment in a world marred by the same social uncertainties of 1969: war, political divisiveness and economic struggle.

Before his sold out show Carlos Santana poses at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, with Jason Stone Vice President-General Manager of Live Nation and Darlene Fedun COO of Bethel Woods. Photo courtesy of Michael Bloom for Bethel Woods.

Part of the proceeds of the July 17 concert benefited The Milagro Foundation, Santana’s charity organization supporting underprivileged children worldwide. Since its inception in 1998, the Foundation has facilitated educational, social and medical support for youth in Africa, Haiti and the Americas. Milagro means “miracle” in Spanish. It was also the title of Santana’s sixteenth album in 1992.