William Correa

William Correa

born on 28/2/1934 in New York City, NY, United States

died on 15/12/1983 in Los Angeles, CA, United States

Alias Willie Bobo

Willie Bobo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Willie Bobo was the stage name of William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983),[1] a Latin and jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry.

Biography

William Correa grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York City. He made his name in Latin Jazz, specifically Afro-Cuban jazz, in the 1960s and 1970s, with the timbales becoming his favoured instrument. He met Mongo Santamaría shortly after his arrival in New York and studied with him while acting as his translator, and later at the age of 19 joined Tito Puente for four years.

The nickname Bobo is said to have been bestowed by the jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams in the early 1950s.[1]

His first major exposure was when he joined George Shearing's band on the album The Shearing Spell. After leaving Shearing, Cal Tjader asked Bobo and Santamaría to become part of the Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Quintet, who released several albums as the mambo craze reached fever pitch in the late '50s. Reuniting with his mentor Santamaría in 1960, the pair released the album Sabroso! for the Fantasy label. Bobo later formed his own group, releasing Do That Thing/Guajira with Tico and Bobo's Beat and Let's Go Bobo for Roulette, without achieving huge penetration.[1]

After the runaway success of Tjader's Soul Sauce, in which he was heavily involved, Bobo formed a new band with the backing of Verve Records, releasing Spanish Grease, the title track being perhaps his most well known tune. Highly successful at this attempt, Bobo released a further six albums with Verve.[1]

In the early 1970s, he moved out to Los Angeles. He again met up with his long-time friend Richard Sanchez Sr. and his son Richard Jr. and began recording in the studio. Bobo then worked as a session musician for Carlos Santana among others, as well as being a regular in the band for Bill Cosby's variety show Cos. In the late '70s, Bobo recorded albums for Blue Note and Columbia Records.[1]

After a period of ill health, he died at the age of 49, succumbing to cancer.[2]

His youngest son, Eric Bobo (Eric Correa), is a percussionist with crew Cypress Hill. He also performed on the Beastie Boys' 1994 album Ill Communication, as well as doing the 1994 Lollapalooza tour with the group.[1]

His grandson William Valen Correa, son of Bobo's first son William Gill Correa, is Co-Founder of the music-based non-profit organization HNDP Los Angeles.

Discography

As leader

  • Do That Thing/Guajira (Tico, 1963)
  • Bobo's Beat (Roulette, 1964)
  • Let's Go Bobo! (Roulette, 1964)
  • Spanish Grease (Verve, 1965)
  • Uno Dos Tres 1•2•3 (Verve, 1966)
  • Feelin' So Good (Verve, 1967)
  • Juicy (Verve, 1967)
  • Bobo Motion (Verve, 1967)
  • Spanish Blues Band (Verve, 1968)
  • A New Dimension (Verve, 1968)
  • Do What You Want to Do (Sussex, 1971)
  • The Drum Session (Philips Records, 1975) with Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne & Paul Humphrey
  • Tomorrow Is Here (Blue Note, 1977)
  • Hell Of An Act To Follow (Columbia, 1978)
  • Bobo (Columbia, 1979)
  • Lost & Found (Concord Picante, 2006)
  • Dig My Feeling (Nacional Records 2016)

As sideman

With Nat Adderley

  • Autobiography (Atlantic, 1965)

With Dorothy Ashby

  • The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby (Atlantic, 1965)

With Bob Brookmeyer

  • Trombone Jazz Samba (Verve, 1962)

With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

  • Goin' to the Meeting (Prestige, 1962)

With Miles Davis

  • Quiet Nights (Columbia, 1964)
  • Sorcerer (Columbia, 1967)

With Victor Feldman

  • Latinsville! (Contemporary, 1960)

With José Feliciano

  • Angela (Private Stock, 1976)

With Grant Green

  • The Latin Bit (Blue Note, 1962)

With Chico Hamilton

  • Chic Chic Chico (Impulse!, 1965)
  • El Chico (Impulse!, 1965)
  • The Further Adventures of El Chico (Impulse!, 1966)

With Slide Hampton

  • Explosion! The Sound of Slide Hampton (Atlantic, 1962)

With Herbie Hancock

  • Inventions and Dimensions (Blue Note, 1964)

With Eddie Harris

  • Bad Luck Is All I Have (Atlantic, 1975)

With Bobby Hutcherson

  • Montara (Blue Note, 1975)

With Herbie Mann

  • Right Now (Atlantic, 1962)
  • Brazil, Bossa Nova & Blues (United Artists, 1962)
  • Herbie Mann Live at Newport (Atlantic, 1963)
  • My Kinda Groove (Atlantic, 1965)
  • Latin Mann (Columbia, 1965)
  • Our Mann Flute (Atlantic, 1966)
  • The Beat Goes On (Atlantic, 1967)

With Les McCann

  • McCanna (Pacific Jazz, 1964)
  • Much Les (Atlantic, 1968)

With Gary McFarland

  • Soft Samba (Verve, 1963)

With Buddy Miles

  • Chapter VII (Columbia, 1973)

With Wes Montgomery

  • Movin' Wes (Verve, 1964)

With Oliver Nelson

  • Skull Session (Flying Dutchman, 1975)

With Dave Pike

  • Limbo Carnival (New Jazz, 1962)
  • Manhattan Latin (Decca, 1964)

With Tito Puente

  • Cuban Carnival (RCA Victor, 1956)

With Ike Quebec

  • Soul Samba (Blue Note, 1962)

With Terry Reid

  • River (Atlantic, 1973)

With Dannie Richmond

  • "In" Jazz for the Culture Set (Impulse!, 1965)

With Charlie Rouse

  • Bossa Nova Bacchanal (Blue Note, 1963)

With A. K. Salim

  • Afro-Soul/Drum Orgy (Prestige, 1965)

With Mongo Santamaria

  • Mighty Mongo (Fantasy, 1962)
  • Viva Mongo! (Fantasy, 1962)

With Doc Severinsen

  • Rhapsody For Now! (RCA, 1973)

With Sonny Stitt

  • Stitt Goes Latin (Roost, 1963)

With Gábor Szabó

  • Spellbinder (Impulse!, 1966)

With Clark Terry

  • Mumbles (Mainstream, 1966)

With Cal Tjader

  • Latino (Fantasy, 1958)
  • Cal Tjader's Concert by the Sea (Fantasy, 1959)
  • Cal Tjader's Latin Concert (Fantasy, 1959)
  • West Side Story (Fantasy, 1960)
  • Plays Harold Arlen (Fantasy, 1961)
  • Live and Direct (Fantasy, 1962)
  • Breeze from the East (Verve, 1964)
  • Soul Sauce (Verve, 1965)

With Don Wilkerson

  • Elder Don (Blue Note, 1962)

Filmography

  • 2008 Willie Bobo: King Conga

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f allmusic Biography
  2. ^ "Willie Bobo, Drummer Who Led Latin Bands". The New York Times. 1983-09-16. Retrieved 2007-01-23. 

External links

  • Eric Bobo video interview
  • Willie Bobo on IMDb
This page was last modified 23.08.2018 16:47:44

This article uses material from the article Willie Bobo from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.