Bobby McFerrin: biography, best songs, interesting facts

Bobby McFerrin

The musical guru, the genius of improvisation ... What kind of epithets did not award the famous Bobby McFerrin - a musician, whose work shakes with its versatility. He can rightly be called a "man-orchestra": masterfully possessing an amazing four-octave gutta-percha voice and possessing the gift of imitation, MacFerrin can portray anything: the roar of a motor, baby talk, vibraphone, flute or duduk sounds. The style of his singing is absolutely unique, original and self-sufficient, however, the singer never sings in full voice, however, softly humming and whistling, he eventually “whistled” ten Grammy awards and great public love in all corners of the globe. At the first appearance on the stage, viewers meet him with such applause, which few of the performers receive even after concerts, because the musician conquers the audience not only with the virtuosity of his performance, but also with the warm rainbow atmosphere he creates in the hall. Bobby McFerin is so talented that he is one in many faces: he is not only an unsurpassed diverse vocalist-improviser, but also a world-renowned conductor and composer who works in many musical directions.

short biography

Bobby was born in New York Manhattan on March 11, 1950. His parents were talented musicians, professional vocalists. Bobby's father is Robert McFerrin, one of the first African Americans to have the honor of being a soloist in the Metropolitan Opera crowned with glory. The boy's mother, Sarah Cooper, sang not only in operas, but also in Broadway musicals, and after the Macferrin family moved to Hollywood in 1958, she became an honorary professor of music at Fullerton College in California.

From early childhood, a boy who grew up in a musical environment, actively joined the art. The house constantly sounded the works of not only the great classics: Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, but also jazz compositions of the talented Kaunta Basie. The first musical instrument that Bobby took a fancy to was a clarinet, but at 14 he preferred piano. The boy was so passionate about music that he had already created his first band at the school called "Bobby Mack Quartet".

After school, McFerrin Jr. continued his education at the University of California, and also studied piano at Sacramento and Cerritos colleges.

His career as a pianist, Bobby began in the musical group of the touring ice show "Ice Follies". Then there was work in clubs and various instrumental groups, for example, in a rock group performing cover versions of well-known compositions, then in an ensemble that accompanied the dance group performing in a cabaret. Not getting much pleasure from such creative activities, Bobby in 1977 decides to radically change everything and try himself in the vocal field. The following year, settling in New Orleans, he made his debut as a singer in a local band called the Astral Project. Concert venues of the ensemble were hotels and bars.

Some time later, a series of significant meetings with people who played an important role in the fate of the musician takes place in the life of McFerrin. By a favorable coincidence, Bobby meets the famous jazz singer John Hendricks, who, after hearing the performance of the young singer, invited him to make a tour with the "Hendricks Family" tour of the country. Communication with the legendary musician had a beneficial effect on the further work of Bobby. Then, in 1979, McFerrin was fortunate enough to meet Linda Goldstein, who later became "for all times" his friend, manager and sometimes even a producer. The next significant event for the singer was an acquaintance in San Francisco with glorified comic artist Bill Cosby, who in 1980 helped McFerrin perform at the jazz festival organized by Playboy magazine. The audience so enthusiastically accepted the vocal-piano improvisation of a young debutant that next year it inspired Bobby to participate in the Kool Jazz Festival, held in New York, and later in 1982 to record his first album, to which the musician gave his name - " Bobby McFerrin ".

Constantly being in search of something unusual and interesting, Bobby decides to try to play musical compositions unaccompanied - akapelno. The singer first demonstrated his new style of performance in Europe in 1983. The concerts with the improvised program of the little-known European music lovers Bobby McFerrin were so overwhelmingly successful that German journalists gave him the name “magic voice”. Inspired by the results of his tour, the singer released his second album entitled "The Voice", which included a capella compositions recorded during a tour. Then, in 1985, McFerrin released the third album, however, recorded traditionally with accompaniment, and the song "Another Night in Tunisia", for which Bobby simultaneously receives his first Grammy in two nominations. Subsequently, this high music award was awarded three more singles: "What is This Thinking Called Love?", "Round Midnight", "Brothers" and the album for children "Elephant's Child".

MacFerrin's popularity quickly gained momentum, his voice could be heard in the popular television show Bill Cosby, in soundtracks for films and children's cartoons, as well as in commercials. Billy surrendered to the world's best concert halls, including the famous Carnegie Hall, but the singer gained a truly universal world fame thanks to a simple funny song, which spontaneously was born in 1988 as a result of work on the next album "Simple Pleasures". "Don't worry, Be Happy"- so MacFerrin called the composition, which later became a phenomenal hit, which ranked first in the pop charts around the world and received a Grammy in three nominations."

Not stopping at what has been accomplished and constantly being in creative search, in 1990 Bobby created the "Voicestra" ensemble consisting of ten performers singing a capella. The vocal group participated in the recording of a studio album entitled "Medicine Music", which included original works based on improvisation. At the same time, the pursuit of perfection leads the musician to the thought of studying the art of conducting. He takes the initial course with such outstanding masters as Gustav Meyer and Seiji Ozawa, and soon he tries himself in a new field. On his forty-fifth birthday, in San Francisco, Bobby conducts the orchestra for the first time. Subsequently, as a conductor, he performed with symphonic groups from Chicago, Montreal, New York, Seattle, Cleveland, Toronto, Los Angeles, Leipzig, Philadelphia, London, Munich, Rotterdam and Vienna. Symphony concerts of serious classical music by conductor Bobby McFerrin have always been very interesting and extraordinary.

With an outstanding cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who later became a good friend for McFerrin, the singer recorded the album "Hush" in 1992, which included works by outstanding classics, contemporary authors and compositions by MacFerrin himself. With Chick Corea, one of the best jazz pianists, Bobby has a wonderful creative ensemble. Together they recorded two studio albums: one with jazz music, the other with original interpretation Concerts V.A. Mozart for pianoand subsequently these talented musicians went on tour to many countries around the world, including Russia.

In 1994, Bobby was offered to become the artistic director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. The creative result of such activity was the album of classical music "Paper Music", which featured works by prominent composers V.A. Mozart, I.S. Baha, P.I. Tchaikovsky, F. Mendelssohn and I. Stravinsky. In the late 90s, McFerrin, paying "tribute" to his father, who in the film of 1959 "Porgy and Bess"voiced by the actor Sidney Poitier, makes a tour with a concert version based on the opera of the same name by G. Gershwin. In the 2000s, Bobby continues to tour extensively. He gives about a hundred concerts a year at home and abroad, acting as a vocalist - improviser, and as a conductor who gained world fame. In 2008, the famous Carnegie Hall held the premiere performance of the McFerrin improvisational opera called "Bobble", the story of which was based on the legend of the Tower of Babel. He realizes his unique creative ideas, as well as pays a lot of attention to children, recording music for them and voicing animated films, and for familiarizing the younger generation with classical music, McFerrin starred in several youth television programs.

Interesting Facts

• Bobby McFerrin is inherently a very quiet, calm, indifferent to fame man and a very good family man. In 1975, he married Debbie Green, who presented him with three children: a daughter, Maddie, and two sons, Javon and Tyler. All McFerin's children followed in the footsteps of their father, linking their future with music.
• In 1983, the singer was shocked by the organizers of the concerts of his world tour that he had come without a program prepared in advance and a band that would provide him with musical accompaniment. As a result, the concert programs given by a singer in one country and built on constant improvisation never repeated.
• McFerrin interestingly, in an improvisational version, performed the famous composition of the "Pink Panther" by composer Henry Mancini for the new film "The Son of the Rose-orchestras", released on screens in 1993.

• As a teenager, Bobby had a great desire to devote himself to God and become a clergyman, but his passion for music won out. However, throughout his life, McFerrin, as a real Christian, waking up every day at 4.30 am, always spends a couple of hours reading the Bible thoughtfully.
• From early childhood, Bobby McFerrin was brought up on the works of great classics, and he has a special passion for the music of the Great Mozart, raising it to a special cult and considering it ideal.
• The famous song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" gained momentum so quickly and became a super hit that immediately overgrown with incredibly ironic rumors, for example, Makferrin, performing a song with a very positive attitude, could not stand the "test of fame" and committed suicide .
• To fill the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" with a certain color, McFerin performed it with a Jamaican accent, so many people thought that the song was recorded and performed by the most famous reggae performer - Jamaican musician Bob Marley.

• Opera Bobby McFerrin "Bobble" is a unique work of its kind, which has neither the libretto nor the vocals. Each time the author and 17 performers singing in different vocal techniques: from opera and folk music with elements of throat singing, to jazz, reggae and beatboxing in the process of joint improvisation give rise to a new work.
• Bobby McFerrin visited Russia four times, and the fifth was due in 2016, but due to illness, to the great disappointment of music lovers, the tour was canceled.

Creativity Bobby McFerrin

All of Bobby McFerrin’s activities are the result of creative research and constant experimentation. Even at the very beginning of his singing solo career, Bobby, who had visited the improvisational concerts of talented jazz pianist and composer Keith Jarrett and was impressed by his performances, thought about a special, completely new form of building a concert that had never been used in solo vocalists before. McFerin's innovation lies in the fact that he turned an ordinary concert into a truly fascinating show involving the audience in the improvisational process. In addition, possessing acting talent and an elegant sense of humor, Bobby gently causes listeners to become active participants in the performance, for example, to create a musical background for their vocal improvisations. With the help of charisma, the gift of an imitator, as well as a unique voice having a range of four octaves, the musician at his concerts introduces the audience to a frenzy-enthusiastic state. Even mastering the art of conducting and performing with large symphony orchestras, Bobby continued his improvisational experiments in which everything became full participants: conductor, musicians and, no doubt, listeners.

Creative activity Bobby McFerin is very diverse and fruitful. At concerts that the musician gives no less than a hundred a year, he performs in different roles: as a conductor and as a vocalist improviser, masterfully speaking his voice, using techniques such as falsetto and overtone singing, vocal percussion and many other tricks that create the effect polyphony. In addition, he starred in popular music programs, recorded movie soundtracks, voiced cartoons, created an innovative opera-improvisation "Bobble", and also reflected his innovative work in more than twenty albums, which went more than 20 million copies. Here are some of them:

• "Bobby McFerrin" is the very first debut album of Bobby McFerrin, recorded in 1982, but immediately noted in the jazz charts.
• "The Voice" - the disc was released on the basis of live recordings made by the singer during a tour of Germany in 1984. The album includes jazz compositions that did not have musical accompaniment, and illustrating unique possibilities, subservient to the human voice.
• "Spontaneous Inventions" - the third album of the singer, recorded in 1985 traditionally, with the accompaniment. The CD was created with the participation of pianist Herbie Hancock, the vocal quartet "Manhattan Transfer" and comedian Robin Williams.
• "Elephant's Child" is an album for children, released in 1987 and awarded the Grammy Award.
• "Simple Pleasures" is an album from 1988 that became multi-platinum because it included the phenomenal hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy", which was immediately awarded three Grammy awards.
• "Medicine Music" is the sixth album by Bobby McFerrin, recorded in 1990 along with the VOICESTRA ensemble he composed of 10 vocalists. The music on this disc is collective improvisation based on traditional African music.
• "Hush" - in 1991, the album was the fruit of the joint work of Bobby and the celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The disc contains interpreted works of great classics, modern authors and the author's works of McFerrin. The peak of the collection is the famous "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Russian composer ON. Rimsky-Korsakovuniquely represented by a duet of talented musicians. The album remained in the classical charts for a couple of years, and according to the results of sales in 1996 it became "golden."

• "Play" is an album of jazz music recorded in 1992 in collaboration with the talented pianist Chick Corea and bringing the tenth Grammy to McFerrin.
• "Paper Music" is an album that includes classical music by V.A. Mozart, I.S. Bach, PI Tchaikovsky, F. Mendelssohn and I.Stravinsky performed by the chamber orchestra of St. Paul, conducted by Bobby Macferren. The disc was released in 1995.
• "The Mozart Sessions", another disc released in 1995, is the result of a collaboration with Chick Corea. The album includes quite extraordinary arrangements for piano concerts by V.A. Mozart

The story of the song "Don't Worry Be Happy"

Who would have known the story of a funny song "Don't worry Be Happy"which brought wide global recognition to McFerin, began quite mediocrely. As Bobby himself said, he once saw a poster with a portrait of the Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba, who proclaimed himself the avatar of the century - God in human form. Don't worry, be happy "(Don't worry, be happy). These words intrusively twisted in the musician's head, and he began to whistle a tune that suited them very well. Then the author quickly composed the words of seven verses related to first refrain, and to them, and music. Initially, the song appeared as a soundtrack to the film "Cocktail", released on screens in 1988. The first single released did not make any special impression on music lovers and took only 88th line in the charts year composition entered the album "Simple Pleasure" (Simple pleasures) and took off so that landed immediately in the first positions of the charts, where he remained for a long time. As a result, the song was marked with a whole bouquet of Grammy: "best male pop vocals" , "record of the year" and "song of the year", and the album "Simple Pleasure" became m ltiplatinovym in McFerrin's career most commercially successful. Композиция "Don't Worry Be Happy", быстро завоевавшая популярность, обладала настолько позитивным настроем, что претенденту на пост американского президента от республиканской партии Джорджу Бушу-старшему посоветовали использовать её в избирательной компании. Песню взяли, не спросив разрешения у крайне возмущенного автора, который к тому же отдавал свои политические предпочтения демократам. В результате Бушу-старшему пришлось отказаться от такой затеи, но и Макферрин вскоре тоже перестал исполнять "нетипичную", как он говорил, для его творчества песню, которая, тем не менее, сделала его всемирно знаменитым. В русском языке есть примета: "Не свисти - денег не будет", но с Бобби Макферрином данная примета не сработала.The musician "whistled" in such a way that he earned so much money, which was enough to implement all his creative ideas, for example, to create an a capella collective "Voicestra" and tour with him around the world.

"Don't worry Be Happy" (listen)

Awards

The musical creativity of Bobby McFerrin was appreciated, he is the owner of 10 awards of the Grammy Academy of Recording:

• 1986 - the composition "Another Night in Tunisia" was awarded at once in 2 nominations: the best male jazz - the performance and the best arrangement;
• 1987 - composition "Round Midnight" - the best male jazz - performance;
• 1988 - composition "What is This Thing Called Love" - ​​the best male jazz - performance;
• 1989 - composition "Brothers" - the best male jazz - performance;
• 1989 - the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is listed as a prize winner in 3 positions at once: the song of the year, the record of the year and the best male pop performance;
• 1988 - the album "Elephant's Child" is marked as the best music album for children;
• 1993 - album "Play" - the best jazz vocal album.

Bobby McFerrin is a musician to whom you can apply all the superplaces: the legendary, inimitable, famous, virtuoso. Each of his performances is eccentric and unique, as McFerrin, who has an incredible ability to fantasy and spontaneity, always goes beyond the established stereotypes, but, nevertheless, faithfully preserves the musical heritage of the past. We hope that his talent, which becomes more and more vivid with every year, will give people joy and pleasure for a long time.