Bobby McFerrin grew up surrounded by music — both of his parents were classical singers, and his father, Robert McFerrin Sr., was the first African American man to sing leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera. Bobby initially trained as a pianist and studied classical music, but in his late 20s he made a radical pivot: he devoted himself almost entirely to the human voice.
By the early 1980s, McFerrin had become a sensation on the jazz and festival circuit for performing completely solo, creating basslines, chords, percussion, and melodies at once, long before looping pedals were common. His concerts were (and still are) heavily improvised, physical, playful, and often involve the audience as part of the music.
In 1988, he became a global pop figure with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” the first a cappella song ever to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of staying in pop, he used the platform to dive deeper into jazz, classical conducting, and cross-cultural projects.
Beyond performance, McFerrin has had a major career as a conductor, working with orchestras around the world (including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and Vienna Philharmonic). He also founded Voicestra, an all-vocal ensemble, and the long-running improvisational concert concept “Circlesongs.”
He’s won 10 Grammy Awards, collaborated with artists ranging from Herbie Hancock to Yo-Yo Ma, and influenced essentially every modern vocal experimentalist who followed.
McFerrin isn’t just a singe, he’s a living argument that music is something the human body already knows how to do.
Albums
Live at Montreux 1982 (1982)
The Voice (1984)
Spontaneous Inventions (1985)
The Way I Feel (1986)Simple Pleasures (1988), (includes “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”)
Medicine Music (1990)
Hush (1992) – with Yo-Yo Ma
Play (1992)
Paper Music (1995) – with Chick Corea
The Mozart Sessions (1996) – with Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Bang! Zoom (1996)
Circlesongs (1997)
Blue Skies (1997) – with Yo-Yo Ma
Beyond Words (2002)
Paths of Rhythm (2005) – with the San Francisco Girls Chorus
VOCAbuLarieS (2010)
Bobble (2011) – with the all-vocal group Gimme5