William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin  jazzpercussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino music and was noted for combining elements of jazz, Latin and rhythm and blues music.

Born William Correa to a Puerto Rican family, Bobo grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York City, United States.^[1][5] His father played the cuatro, a ten stringed guitar-like instrument. As a teenager, Bobo taught himself the bongos and later the congas, timbales and drums. In 1947, Bobo started working as a band boy for Machito in order to gain entrance to the band’s concerts, sometimes filling in on percussion.

At age 12, he began his professional career as a dancer and two years later made his recording debut as a bongo player.