Willy Chirino (born April 5, 1947, in Consolación del Sur,

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

) is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.

Early life

Following the communist revolution in Cuba, Chirino came to the United States in 1960 as part of Operation Peter Pan, designed to save children who were being abducted by the new communist regime. This U.S. government-sponsored program, in conjunction with the Catholic Welfare Bureau, provided refuge to approximately 14,000 Cuban children who were cared for in U.S. foster homes until their parents could flee Cuba and arrive in the U.S. Chirino later recorded a song, "Nuestro Día Ya Viene Llegando" ("Our Day is Coming"), loosely based on his experiences as a refugee from communism. The song has become something of an anthem for Cuban exiles everywhere.

Career

Chirino began his artistic career in

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, releasing his first album in 1974. Since then, he has recorded over 20 albums, several of which have attained platinum and gold status. In 2006, his album "Son del Alma", won a Grammy for Best Salsa/Merengue Album. As founder of the Willy Chirino Foundation, his philanthropic efforts have been recognized by UNICEF and the Department of State. He celebrated his 35th anniversary in music with his latest released album "Willy Chirino Live-35th Anniversary" ("Willy Chirino En Vivo-35 Aniversario"), a CD/DVD combo of the concert. This album brought him his first nomination for ''Best Salsa Album'' at the 2007

Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...

. Most recently, Chirino and his wife, singer-songwriter Lissette Álvarez, released their first album together, ''Amarraditos'' (Bound to One Another). The CD includes a potpourri of classic Spanish-language love songs. Chirino's album, "Pa'lante", was released at spring 2008, after which he launched a world tour. In 2011, when asked of how his recordings of My Beatles Heart, he said that Sony scrutinized every single one of his songs and their versions because they consider the songs by The Beatles as one of their most precious treasures, and wanted to make sure they were being used in a rightful manner. In 2014, Chirino received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in Las Vegas for his music career.

Personal life

His first marriage was to Olga Maria Rodriguez and they bore three daughters: Angie, Olga Maria and Jessica. He later married Lissette Álvarez and had three more children: Nicolle, Alana, and Gianfranco. He has three grandchildren, Elis Regina, Andres and Dashiel. He and his wife support the Cuban dissident movement, Yo No Coopero Con La Dictadura (I Don't Cooperate with the Dictatorship).

Discography

* 1974: ''One Man Alone'' * 1975: ''Chirino'' * 1976: ''Chirino 3'' * 1977: ''¿Quién Salvó la Ciudad?'' * 1978: ''Evolución'' * 1979: ''Come into My Music'' * 1980: ''Diferente'' * 1981: ''La Salsa y Yo'' * 1982: ''Chirinísimo'' * 1983: ''Subiendo'' * 1985: ''14 Éxitos'' * 1985: ''Zarabanda'' * 1988: ''Amándote'' * 1989: ''Lo que Está Pa' Ti'' * 1990: ''Acuarela del Caribe'' * 1991: ''Oxígeno'' * 1992: ''Un Tipo Típico y Sus Éxitos'' * 1992: ''Mis Primeros Éxitos'' * 1993: ''South Beach'' * 1994: ''Oro Salsero: 20 Éxitos'' * 1994: ''Brillantes'' * 1995: ''Asere'' * 1996: ''Antología Tropical'' * 1997: ''Baila Conmigo'' * 1997: ''Oro Salsero: 10 Éxitos Vol. 1'' * 1998: ''Oro Salsero: 10 Éxitos Vol. 2'' * 1998: ''Cuba Libre'' * 1999: ''20th Anniversary'' * 2000: ''Greatest Hits'' * 2000: ''Soy'' * 2001: ''Afro-Disiac'' * 2002: ''15 Éxitos'' * 2003: ''Serie Azul Tropical'' * 2004: ''Son del Alma'' * 2005: ''Cubanísimo'' * 2005: ''20 Éxitos Originales'' * 2006: ''En Vivo: 35° Aniversario'' * 2007: ''Amarraditos'' * 2007: ''Lo Esencial'' * 2007: ''Tesoros de Colección'' * 2008: ''Pa' Lante'' * 2008: ''Grandes Éxitos en Vivo'' * 2011: ''My Beatles Heart'' * 2011: ''Mis Favoritas'' * 2012: ''Llegó la Navidad'' * 2013: ''Soy... I Am: Mis Canciones – My Songs'' * 2014: ''Serie Platino'' * 2018: ''Navidad en Familia''

References

External links

Willy Chirino
at

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https://historymiami.org/historymiami-museum-announces-willy-chirino-50-years-of-music/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Chirino, Willy 1947 births Living people People from Consolación del Sur Salsa musicians Cuban male singers American entertainers of Cuban descent Cuban emigrants to the United States Exiles of the Cuban Revolution in the United States Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Latin music record producers Latin music songwriters