Willy Chirino was born and raised in Cuba until the age of 14. It was then that he emigrated to the U.S. as part of Operation Peter Pan, a U.S. government program to bring over children that were feared to be in danger as a result of Castro's recent revolution. By the time he reached adulthood, Chirino was a successful musician, tearing up the Miami scene with his 1974 debut album One Man Alone. He would go on to release 20 records over the course of his 40-year career, even winning a GRAMMY® for best salsa/merengue album in 2006.