Kowboy Santos

Kowboy Santos - The Southpaw Axe Slinger

Not too many people know that most of the great guitar player of our time are left-handed. Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, Duanne Allman, Mike Knopfler, Noel Galagher, Joan Jett, Paul Simon, Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix, to name a few. Locally, one left-handed guitarist who has been making waves for quite sometime now is Kowboy Santos.

The offspring of Nilo Santos and Tessy Alfonso (better known for her stage name as Sampaguita), Kowboy is a self-taught guitar guru (“Yes I am mostly self taught, but have had intense lessons for a year under the student of Joe Satriani, Doug Doppler in San Francisco for a year”-Kowboy) whose influence includes, Wally Gonzalez and Gary Perez locally. “Sa foreign is Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Marc Ford of the Black Crowes and Santana”, he adds. “I am more of  a blues player, my skills are kind of rudimentary so i mostly stick to basic structures and concentrate on the groove more”, admits Kowboy.

Born in the Philippines, he moved to the US when he was just 9 years old. His parents separated when he was 6. He lived with his father in the US; first to Hawaii, then to Southern California, then lived in San Francisco for a year. It was at this juncture, that Kowboy started to get curious with guitars. “My dad have guitars lying around the house. And I remember my mom would have photo shoots in and around our yard when I was much younger”, added Kowboy.

What further fanned his curiosity in music was his weekend visits to Sampaguita and going to her gigs in Olongapo. “Bands would hang out with my mom and I would get to meet them first hand.” he quips. He started performing music when he was around 16 years old in 1993. “I played with a lot of bands, I first started performing with my mom’s band as myself, to keep them together and gigging, this was in Hobbit House. Then I joined the Blue Rats and played with that blues band for 8 years. After that I was with  Tempestuous Jones”, admits Kowboy.

Another former band ‘Generation’, which comprises of Keyboardist Mike Chan and bassist Joe Chan, sons of singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan; rhythm guitarist Ige Gallardo’s parents are singer-actress Celeste Legaspi and composer Nonoy Gallardo. Members of the four-man rock band ‘Generation’ insist that it is a mere coincidence that they are children of local music legends. “Natyempo lang”, quips Kowboy. He also have  a self titled album on Star Records. Incidentally, Kowboy with Rocky Perez and Maegan Aguilar used to be in a band too, called "LuzViMinda". A super-band with super-talents as well. Maegan is the daughter of Freddie Aguilar and Rocky is the son of ’Sampaguita’ and ‘Anak Bayan’ alumnus, Gary Perez. And was this band with Maegan and Rocky intentional to bring in scions of local Philippine music legends? "Na tyempo Lang din", teases Kowboy.

2015 was a kind year for Kowboy having won the coveted “Philippine Guitar God Award”. Truth be told, Kowboy honed his chops and sharpened his licks in multiple bands, stages, gigs all over the Philippines in almost three decades.

A former print ad model, he muses as to why was he named as such. “When your parents are both in rock star status during their heyday, they can pretty much do anything they want, in a whim”, declared Kowboy.

With his main band now called “Pigdog”, touted by many as  a superband, because of it’s member that includes Tirso Ripoll, Johnny Besa, Miguel Ortigas and Beatrice Gomez . “ And in between those bands I jammed with different club bands that I like”, adds Kowboy. He furthered that his taste in music is more on classic rock, “I listen to a lot of 60’s to 90’s material and I listen to a lot of reggae as well, and I can appreciate hiphop when it has conscious and defiant lyrics”.

His daily grind? “Practice with my guitar,  do something healthy, check on our projects, and take care of my dogs”, finishes Kowboy.

Trivia: Kowboy shares the same birthday with his mom Sampaguita, July 17. Asked, what year was he born, "Every year man!", chuckles Kowboy.