Vocal virtuoso
Bobby McFerrin ranks among the most distinctive and original singers in contemporary music -- equally adept in jazz, pop and classical settings, his octave-jumping trademark style, with its rhythmic inhalations and stop-on-a-dime shifts from falsetto to deep bass notes, often sounds like the work of at least two or three singers at once, while at the same time sounding quite unlike anyone else. The son of husband-and-wife classical singers,
McFerrin was born in New York City on March 11, 1950, later studying piano at California State College at Sacramento and Cerritos College. After touring behind the Ice Follies, he performed with a series of cover bands, cabaret acts and dance troupes before making his vocal debut in 1977. While living in New Orleans, he sang with the group
Astral Projection before relocating to San Francisco.
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Vocal virtuoso
Bobby McFerrin ranks among the most distinctive and original singers in contemporary music -- equally adept in jazz, pop and classical settings, his octave-jumping trademark style, with its rhythmic inhalations and stop-on-a-dime shifts from falsetto to deep bass notes, often sounds like the work of at least two or three singers at once, while at the same time sounding quite unlike anyone else. The son of husband-and-wife classical singers,
McFerrin was born in New York City on March 11, 1950, later studying piano at California State College at Sacramento and Cerritos College. After touring behind the Ice Follies, he performed with a series of cover bands, cabaret acts and dance troupes before making his vocal debut in 1977.
While living in New Orleans, he sang with the group
Astral Projection before relocating to San Francisco. There he met legendary comedian
Bill Cosby, who arranged for
McFerrin to appear at the 1980 Playboy Jazz Festival.
A performance at the 1981 Kool Jazz Festival led to a contract with Elektra, and the following year
McFerrin issued his self-titled debut LP. With 1984's
The Voice, he made jazz history, recording the first-ever solo vocal album (sans accompaniment or overdubbing) to be released on a major label. His Blue Note debut Spontaneous Inventions followed in 1985 and featured contributions from
Herbie Hancock,
the Manhattan Transfer (on the Grammy-winning "Another Night in Tunisia") and comic
Robin Williams;
McFerrin also earned mainstream exposure through his unique performance of the theme song to the television hit The Cosby Show as well as a number of commercial spots. With 1988's
Simple Pleasures, he scored a chart-topping pop smash with "Don't Worry, Be Happy"; around that time, he also formed the ten-member a cappella group Voicestra, featured on 1990's
Medicine Music.
With 1992's Hush,
McFerrin shifted gears to team with acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma; the record remained on the Billboard Classical Crossover charts for over two years. The jazz release
Play, a collaboration with pianist
Chick Corea, appeared in 1992 as well.
McFerrin returned to classical territory in 1995 with Paper Music, a collection of interpretations of works by Mozart, Bach and Tchaikovsky recorded with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, (which he joined as Creative Chair a year prior). For 1996's Bang! Zoom he teamed with members of
the Yellowjackets; a second collaboration with
Corea, The Mozart Sessions, appeared later that same year. With 1997's Circlesongs,
McFerrin returned to his roots, recording an entire album of improvised vocal performances. He then recorded a collaborative album of
classical and
jazz standards for Sony Music Special Products in 2001. It teamed him with such esteemed musicians as
Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A year later Blue Note released his
Beyond Words album,
McFerrin's first work for the label in nearly a decade. It featured a band comprised of
Chick Corea, Richard Bona, Omar Hakim, Cyro Baptista, and Gil Goldstein. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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