Willy Chirino (born April 5, 1947 in Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, Cuba) is a Cuban-American musician. After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1950s, many Cubans fled to the United States. Some thought it was a temporary measure and hoped to return soon afterwards, but when it became apparent that the revolution was going to continue, more Cubans left the island. In 1960, Willy Chirino came to the United States via "Operation Peter Pan", designed to get Cuban children out of the country due to, among other things, fears that the government would take them from their parents. This US government sponsored program, in conjunction with the Catholic Welfare Bureau, transported approximately 14,000 Cuban children to the United States and placed them in foster homes until their parents could leave the island.