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
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.
Willie Bobo, who grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York made his name in Latin Jazz in the 1960's and 70's, with the timbales becoming his favoured instrument. He met Mongo Santamaria shortly after his arrival in New York and studied with him while acting as his translator, and later joined Tito Puente for 4 years from the age of 19. During the early 50's the nickname Bobo is said to have been bestowed by the jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams. 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 Santamaria to become part of the Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Quintet, who released several albums as the mambo craze reached fever pitch in the late 50's. Reuniting with his mentor Santamaria in 1960, the pair released the album Sabroso! for the Fantasy label. He 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.
After the runaway sucess of Tjaders Soul Sauce, in which he was heavily involved, Bobo formed a new band with the backing of the Verve label, releasing Spanish Grease, of which the title track is probably his most well known tune. Highly successful at this attempt, Bobo released a further 7 albums with Verve.
In the late 70's he moved out to Los Angeles, where he worked as a session musician for Carlos Santana among others, as well as being a regular in the band for The Bill Cosby Show. In the late seventies he recorded a couple of albums for Blue Note and Columbia records.
He was married to Alicia. He died on September 15, 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. After a period of ill health, he died at the age of 49, succumbing to cancer.
Alicia, wife of Willie, said: "He wanted to come to New York...he wanted to come home...he once said that a great artist always gets recognized at the end." Willie, the eldest son spoke: "One of my father's memorable words was 'music is an international language, anyone can follow the music."' Eric, the youngest son: "He wanted everyone to be happy, no sorrow...this is how his life was, happy, smiling, to have a good time."
Discography 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
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)
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)
With Don Wilkerson
Elder Don (Blue Note, 1962)
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)
Sunny
Willie Bobo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Oh, the dark days are done and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere
Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
You gave to me your all and all
Now I feel ten feet tall
Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, thank you for the truth you've let me see
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z
My life was torn like wind-blown sand
Then a rock was formed when we held hands
Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace
You're my spark of nature's fire
You're my sweet complete desire
Sunny one so true, I love you
The lyrics of Willie Bobo's song "Sunny" are a heartfelt expression of love and gratitude to a person who has brought light and positivity into the singer's life. The lyrics are simple and direct, yet powerful in their emotional resonance. The song begins with a reference to the singer's past struggles and challenges, represented metaphorically by rain. However, the arrival of the titular "Sunny" person has changed everything, and their presence has eased the singer's pain and brought bright and happy days.
Throughout the song, Sunny is thanked for the various ways in which they have affected the singer's life. They are credited with bringing love, truth, and happiness, and the singer expresses their admiration and devotion with genuine feeling. The imagery of the song is powerful in its simplicity, with references to sunshine, flowers, and natural beauty as symbols of the positivity and hope that Sunny has brought into the singer's life.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sunny" are a powerful ode to the transformative power of love and gratitude, and a reminder of the importance of appreciating the people in our lives who bring us joy and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Before I met you, my life was miserable and full of pain.
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Your smile brought joy and happiness to my life and relieved my pain.
Oh, the dark days are done and the bright days are here
My life has turned around; I'm no longer experiencing tough times and I'm having a great time now.
My sunny one shines so sincere
You bring so much light and joy to my life, and it is clear that it's genuine.
Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you
My love for you is honest and unwavering.
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
You bring so much light and happiness to my life, it's like receiving a bouquet of sunshine.
Sunny, thank you for the love you've brought my way
Thank you for showing me love and affection; you've changed my life for the better.
You gave to me your all and all
You have given me everything you have, and I am grateful for that.
Now I feel ten feet tall
Because of your love and support, I feel unstoppable and incredibly confident.
Sunny one so true, I love you
My love for you is genuine and unwavering.
Sunny, thank you for the truth you've let me see
Thank you for revealing the truth to me and allowing me to see life in a new way.
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z
Thank you for showing me everything I needed to know to reach the truth.
My life was torn like wind-blown sand
My life was chaotic and directionless.
Then a rock was formed when we held hands
When we came together, we created a solid foundation for my life.
Sunny one so true, I love you
My love for you is genuine and unwavering.
Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face
Your smile brightens my day and makes my heart happy.
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace
Thank you for your radiant and graceful presence in my life.
You're my spark of nature's fire
You helped ignite the flame in my heart, and I am grateful for that.
You're my sweet complete desire
You are the one I long for and crave, and my desire for you is all-consuming.
Sunny one so true, I love you
My love for you is genuine and unwavering.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Bobby Hebb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scott Shankster
on Spanish Grease
Those aren't the lyrics... It's pretty much the same as " Ain't Got Nobody to Depend On " .