WICN Artist of the Month, December 2025: Bobby McFerrin

Bobby McFerrin is an acclaimed composer, arranger, bandleader, conductor, singer, and songwriter whose unique vocalizing runs the gamut from simple melodic lines to scat singing, to percussive sounds to multiphonics that can mimic several vocalists singing at the same time.

Born Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. on March 11, 1950, in New York City, Bobby grew up in a musical family. His mother, Sara Copper McFerrin, was an accomplished singer and taught voice at Fullerton College. His father, Robert McFerrin Sr., was an operatic baritone who achieved fame as the first Black man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera and as the vocalist who dubbed Sidney Poitier’s singing voice in the film Porgy and Bess. Raised in Los Angeles, Bobby McFerrin was immersed in classical music education, beginning to study piano and clarinet at an early age. He continued his academic studies at institutions including Cerritos College, University of Illinois Springfield, and California State University, Sacramento.

McFerrin began his musical career around 1970, initially working as a pianist for various projects. A pivotal moment occurred on July 11, 1977, when he decided his true path was singing, driven by a vision to improvise alone on stage using only his voice. McFerrin knew he wanted to be a solo jazz vocalist, and he knew he wanted to bring a new, unique sound to his work. So, he turned the time-honored tradition of copying those who came before him and then working to become original on its head.  Instead, McFerrin chose not to listen to or mimic any other jazz singers during his first two years of developing his vocal technique. He wanted to come up with something new, and he knew that if he listened to others, his sound might be more derivative than original. In those two years, he developed the basics of a unique style that was often percussive, sometimes drumming on his chest while singing, and dazzling in its technique, switching quickly from the bottom of his four-octave range to a high falsetto and then returning to his lowest notes. McFerrin’s unique new style often employed scat singing—intoning wordless sounds and syllables. Only after he had laid the groundwork of this new style did he once again pay attention to the work of other jazz vocalists. In all, he spent six years developing his sound.

His debut self-titled album, Bobby McFerrin, was released in 1982. Two years later, McFerrin released his second solo album, The Voice (1984), which was the first solo vocal jazz album recorded for a major label without accompaniment. He garnered widespread international recognition in 1988 with the release of the single “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” from the album Simple Pleasures. This track became the only a cappella song ever to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song’s massive success prompted McFerrin to deliberately shift his focus to other creative pursuits, not wanting his success to be defined by a single hit song.

Moving beyond pop recognition, McFerrin embraced collaborations across classical and jazz genres. In 1989, he formed the 10-person a cappella group, Voicestra, which appeared on his 1990 album Medicine Music.

McFerrin has worked extensively with fellow jazz fusion instrumentalists such as pianist Herbie Hancock and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, releasing the duo album Hush with Yo-Yo Ma in 1992. He maintained a deep musical partnership with pianist Chick Corea, resulting in albums like Play (1992) and The Mozart Sessions (1996). In 1994, he was appointed creative chair of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, a position he held until 1998, a time during which he developed the CONNECT educational program for local public schools. McFerrin has also made regular tours as a guest conductor for major symphony orchestras globally, including the London Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. McFerrin’s conducting appearances are known for integrating classical works with his unique vocal improvisations, often involving the audience or orchestra members singing their parts. His discography spans many genres, including world music on his 1997 album Circlesongs and a collection of spirituals on 2013’s Spirityouall, an homage to his father.

McFerrin is highly acclaimed, accumulating 10 Grammy Awards throughout his career, including three major awards in 1989 for “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. In recognition of his vast influence, the National Endowment for the Arts gave him a Jazz Masters award in 2020.  In 2022, his decades of creative contributions to recording were celebrated with the Grammy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, leading him to relocate to San Francisco, where, he said, he is enjoying the simple pleasures of life.