The City of Chelsea lost one of its greatest native sons with the passing of jazz great Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea this past week at the age of 79.
Chick Corea (whose nickname “Chick” derived from the nickname “Cheeky” that an aunt, who would pinch his cheeks, had given to him when he was a youngster) was born and raised in the city, attending the Williams School and Chelsea High School, though he graduated from Everett High in 1959 when his parents bought a house in that city in the middle of his junior year in high school.
Chick Corea’s immense musical talent was nurtured from a very early age by his father, Armando, who himself was a jazz musician, and continued through his years in the Chelsea school system.
Grammy-winning jazz pianist Chick Corea had a sweeping and influential music career
Armond Anthony “Chick” Corea, who grew up in Chelsea and would go on to become an internationally known superstar in the music industry and win 23 Grammy Awards as a jazz pianist, died on Feb. 9 after a gallant battle against cancer. He was 79.
Chelsea native Chick Corea meets backstage with his hometown friends and fans, from
left, Butch Bradley, Leenie Bradley, Minna Karas Marino, Lenny Nelson, Nick Marino, Karen
Poverman, Lynda Diamond, Councilor-at-Large Leo Robinson, Patricia Simboli, and Josephine
Nelson.
Born in Chelsea, he was the son of Armando and Anna (Zaccone) Corea. Chick attended the Williams School where he was popular among his classmates and elected president of his ninth grade graduating class. Minna Karas Marino, a lifelong friend and classmate at Williams, recalled that Chick was enrolled in the college preparatory course at Williams and his classmates voted him “Most L