MF'ing Santana & The MF'ing Doobie Brothers Join Bluesfest 2017 Line-up

Byron Bay Bluesfest has announced legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and iconic US rockers The Doobie Brothers aboard its 2017 line-up, and they're not even done yet.

Yep, with more additions still to be revealed, Bluesfest has gone and added one of the world's most revered instrumentalists and a timeless, inimitable band to their ranks, which were already threatening to easily outclass their traditional peers with inclusions such as Mary J Blige, Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Zac Brown Band, Mavis Staples, Billy Bragg, Jethro Tull, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and more.

Although he's arguably most popularly known these days for providing the memorable riffs to 1999 mega-hit Smooth (ft. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, a song so enduring it almost became the subject of its own crowdfunded festival last year, if only the public had seen what a beautiful thing it could have been), Santana — an alumnus of Bluesfest, having scorched the event back in 2013 — actually has an insanely decorated and far-reaching career that extends well beyond the confines of a turn-of-the-century collab hit, making him a perfect A-list addition to the line-up with a catalogue boasting tonnes of well-known and under-appreciated gems.

When you hear the first note of Black Magic Woman by Santana, you know who it is you are hearing, and the same with dozens of other songs," Bluesfest promoter Peter Noble OAM said in a statement. "His signature guitar sound is unlike any other, it simply is his and his alone. It's the same with everything he creates. Santana is music royalty – one of the greats. A hero to Latin people worldwide, and everyone else who loves his music too."

Meanwhile, the multi-award-winning Doobie Brothers, themselves no strangers to Bluesfest audiences, will make a return performance to the festival's stage still riding high on the renewed energy afforded them by 2014 LP Southbound, their first album since 2010 and 14th studio full-length overall. Not that their dedication has ever been in question, with the band still playing close to 100 shows a year all around the world.

"The Doobie Brothers blitzed when they last played Bluesfest," Noble said. "They are simply a brilliant live band. They perform hit after hit, leaving their fans both old and new in raptures."

Byron Bay Bluesfest 2017 will be held at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm from Thursday 13 to Monday 17 April.

Tickets are available now.

See theGuide for more information.