David Brown (February 15, 1947 – September 4, 2000) was an American musician. He was the primary bass player for the band Santana from 1966 until 1971, then again from 1974 until 1976.
He grew up in Daly City, California.
Brown played in Santana at Woodstock and at Altamont in 1969 and on the band's first three studio albums before leaving after the "Closing of the Fillmore West" gig on July 4, 1971. In 1974, he rejoined for the album Borboletta and remained with the band for the follow-up Amigos before leaving again in the spring of 1976.
At the Fillmore West Tuesday jam sessions in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brown would often make personnel selections for the sessions and participate as well. Tuesdays were always packed due to the $1 admission fee. There was no seating and the lighting was dim. If David needed someone to play a particular instrument, he would go out into the crowd and the first person that he ran into that he knew "could play", was asked to jam.
In 1998, Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Santana. He died on September 4, 2000, due to liver and kidney failure.
He also played with the Mark Castro Band in the early 1990s.