Bobby McFerrin Biography (1950-)
Born March 11, 1950, in New York, NY; son of Robert, Sr. (an actor, singer, and instructor) and Sara (an educational administrator and voice teacher) McFerrin; married Debbie Lynn Green, 1975; children: Taylor John, Jevon Chase, Madison Grace. Addresses: Agent: Original Artists, 853 Broadway, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10003; William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Musician, composer, conductor
- Birth Details
- March 11, 1950
- New York, New York, United States
Famous Works
- CREDITS
- Film Composer
- (With others) 'Round Midnight, Warner Bros., 1987
- McFerrin's song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" appeared on the soundtrack to Cocktail, 1989; other songs have appeared on the soundtracks to Regarding Henry, 1991, and Son of the Pink Panther, 1993.
- Television Composer
- Series
- The Cosby Show, NBC, 1984
- The Bronx Zoo, NBC, 1987
- Behind the Scenes, PBS, 1992
- Specials
- M & W: Men and Women, ABC, 1988
- The Elephant's Child (animated), Showtime, 1988
- How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin and How the Camel Got His Hump (animated), Showtime, 1988
- Knickknack, 1989
- Where Are We? Our Trip through America, 1992
- Television Appearances
- Specials
- The 28th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1986
- Voice/Dance: Bobby McFerrin and the Tandy Beal Dance Company, PBS,1987
- Live from Planet Earth, HBO, 1987
- The 29th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1987
- Voice, Santabear's Highflying Adventure (animated), CBS, 1987
- All That Bach, PBS, 1988
- Duets: The Spirit of Collaboration, 1988
- Bernstein at 70, PBS, 1989
- Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, HBO, 1989
- Sing Out America! with Judy Collins, PBS, 1989
- The 31st Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1989
- Jon Hendricks: The Freddie Sessions, 1990
- Listen Up, 1990
- Yo-Yo Ma: A Month at Tanglewood, Arts and Entertainment, 1990
- Sinbad and Friends All the Way Live ... Almost, ABC, 1991
- Garrison Keillor's Home, PBS, 1991
- Simply Mad about the Mouse, The Disney Channel, 1992
- The 34th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1992
- A Salute to the Newport Jazz Festival, PBS, 1993
- For Our Children: The Concert, The Disney Channel, 1993
- An American Reunion: New Beginnings, Renewed Hope, HBO, 1993
- Episodic
- Super Dave, Showtime, 1987
- Jim Henson's Ghost of Faffner Hall, HBO, 1989
- "Manhattan Island," Coast to Coast, 1988
- Also appeared on Sesame Street, PBS.
- Radio Appearances
- Episodic
- Appeared several times as a guest on A Prairie Home Companion, National Public Radio.
- Stage Appearances
- JVC Jazz Festival, New York City, 1987
- Umbria Jazz Festival, Perugia, Italy, 1988
- Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, 1988
- Hearts for Ella, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1990
- Montreux Jazz and World Music Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, 1992
- RECORDINGS
- Albums
- Bobby McFerrin, Elektra, 1982
- The Voice, Elektra, 1984
- Spontaneous Inventions, Blue Note, 1986
- (Guest performer) The Manhattan Transfer, Vocalese (includes "Another Night in Tunisia"), Atlantic, 1986
- 'Round Midnight (movie soundtrack), Columbia, 1987
- (Guest performer) Dexter Gordon, The Other Side of 'Round Midnight, Blue Note, 1987
- The Elephant's Child, Windham Hill, 1988
- How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin and How the Camel Got His Hump, Windham Hill, 1988
- Simple Pleasures, EMI Manhattan, 1988
- Rob Wasserman, Duets, 1988
- Dialects, 1986
- Medicine Music, 1990
- Simply Mad about the Mouse, 1991
- Freddie Freeloader, 1991
- Hush, 1992
- Play, 1992
- Together, Heart to Heart, Made for Each Other, 1992
- For Our Children: The Concert, 1993
- Videos
- Spontaneous Inventions, PMI/HBO/Pioneer Artists, 1986
- Also appeared in or performed music for Magnificat and The ManyFaces of Bird.
- WRITINGS
- Nonfiction
- Don't Worry, Be Happy, Delacorte, 1989
- Other writings
- Commissioned to write an opera for the 1997 season of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with libretto by Ishmael Reed.
Further Reference
OTHER SOURCES
- Newsweek, February 27, 1989, p. 74
- People, September 21, 1987, p. 109