Bobby McFerrin

Bobby McFerrin is one of contemporary music's most unique singers. To call him simply a singer is way too limiting, however, since McFerrin uses his entire body as a sound-box, emitting beats, clicks and pops in an octave-jumping vocal range. Raised in a musical family, McFerrin's musical influences were everywhere around him, but he attributes his early fondness for jazz to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. By 1983, McFerrin had adopted his solo style of wordless, vocal improvisations, and in '88 he released the biggest album of his career, Simple Pleasures. Pleasures contained an idiosyncratic version of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love" and a huge hit single, "Don't Worry Be Happy" which was featured in the movie Cocktail. The "Don't Worry Be Happy" period was the apex of McFerrin's commercial success. In years following, McFerrin shifted gears and tried everything from starting a choir to exploring classical and jazz music. His talents are diverse, and his vocals remain his greatest asset.