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Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. is an American improvisational vocal musician, singer, songwriter, and conductor. His vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion. McFerrin perfor…
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entertainment · American singer and conductor (born 1950) · singer · conductor · jazz musician · beatboxer · recording artist · songwriter · university teacher · animator · composer · musician · also Bobby McFerrin, El Boquerón Tostao, Robert Keith McFerrin, Jr., Robert McFerrin, Jr., Robert Keith McFerrin, McFerrin
Born 11 March 1950 · Q310894
61 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 2 entries
AOL: Bobby McFerrin Turns 76: Celebrating the Legacy of 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'
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2025· 1 entry
Yahoo: Bobby McFerrin surprises S.F. crowd to conduct first-ever audience symphony
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2024· 1 entry
Mercury News: Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs: “Every voice has a place”
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2022· 1 entry
The Cheat Sheet: How a Famous Mystic Inspired Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’
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2021· 1 entry
Stereogum: The Number Ones: Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
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2016· 1 entry
Los Angeles Daily News: Bobby McFerrin teams with son Taylor for VPAC birthday concert
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2014· 1 entry
Okayplayer: The Okayplayer Interview: Bobby McFerrin Speaks On Human Orchestras, Hip-Hop + Collaborating w/ Questlove
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2013· 1 entry
Released album “Spirityouall”.
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2011· 1 entry
Released album “Essential: Bobby McFerrin”.
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2010· 1 entry
Released album “VOCAbuLarieS”.
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2009· 2 entries
Released album “Live in Barcelona: Palau De La Música Catalana”.
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McFerrin and psychologist Daniel Levitin hosted The Music Instinct, a two-hour documentary produced by PBS and based on Levitin's best-selling book This Is Your Brain on Music
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2007· 1 entry
Miami New Times: Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra
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2005· 1 entry
Released album “Konzert für Europa: The Schönbrunn Concert”.
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2004· 1 entry
Released album “Herbie Hancock Special”.
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2002· 2 entries
Jazz: Bobby McFerrin: Beyond Words
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Released album “Beyond Words”.
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2001· 1 entry
Released album “Mouth Music”.
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2000· 1 entry
Released album “The Story of Jazz”.
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1997· 3 entries
Released album “Circlesongs”.
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Released album “EMI Jazz Masters: Bobby McFerrin”.
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Released album “The Collection”.
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1996· 2 entries
Released album “The Best of Bobby McFerrin: The Blue Note Years”.
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Released album “The Mozart Sessions”.
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1995· 2 entries
Released album “Paper Music”.
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Released album “Bang! Zoom”.
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1994· 1 entry
McFerrin was appointed as creative chair of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
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1993· 3 entries
Released album “Don't Worry Be Happy”.
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Released album “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”.
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McFerrin sang Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme" for the 1993 comedy film Son of the Pink Panther
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1992· 2 entries
Awarded Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male (1992).
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Released album “Play”.
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1991· 1 entry
Released album “Hush”.
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1990· 1 entry
Released album “Medicine Music”.
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1989· 4 entries
Formed a 10-person "Voicestra", which McFerrin featured on both his 1990 album Medicine Music and in the score to the 1989 Oscar-winning documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
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McFerrin composed and performed the music for the Pixar short film Knick Knack
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Released album “The Many Faces of Bird - The Music of Charlie Parker”.
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Released ep “Don't Worry, Be Happy”.
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1988· 7 entries
Released album “Simple Pleasures”.
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Awarded Grammy Award for Song of the Year for Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988).
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Awarded Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male for Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988).
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Awarded Grammy Award for Record of the Year for Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988).
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Released album “Bobby's Thing”.
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And additionally won Song of the Year and Record of the Year honors at the 1989 Grammy Awards
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McFerrin recorded the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy", which became a hit and brought him widespread recognition across the world
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1987· 2 entries
Awarded Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male (1987).
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Released album “The Elephant's Child”.
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1986· 3 entries
Awarded Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male (1986).
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McFerrin was the voice of Santa Bear in Santa Bear's First Christmas, and in 1987, he was the voice of Santa Bear/Bully Bear in the sequel Santa Bear's High Flying Adventure
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Released album “Spontaneous Inventions”.
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1985· 3 entries
Awarded Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male (1985).
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Awarded Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices (1985).
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Released album “Piazza Della Riforma, Lugano CH, July 2, 1985”.
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1984· 3 entries
Released album “The Voice”.
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Released album “Tangents”.
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McFerrin performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles as a sixth member of Herbie Hancock's VSOP II, sharing horn trio parts with the Marsalis brothers
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1983· 1 entry
Released album “Vocal Summit”.
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1982· 1 entry
Released album “Bobby McFerrin”.
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1950· 2 entries
Born 1950-03-11.
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The son of operatic baritone Robert McFerrin, who was the first African-American man to sing at America's flagship opera company – the Metropolitan Opera, and singer Sara Copper (1924–2019), who taught voice at Fullerton
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