Talk:Bobby McFerrin

This article must adhere to the biographies of living persons (BLP) policy, even if it is not a biography, because it contains material about living persons. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libellous. If such material is repeatedly inserted, or if you have other concerns, please report the issue to this noticeboard.

If you are a subject of this article, or acting on behalf of one, and you need help, please see this help page.

This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

A Cappella Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject A Cappella, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of a cappella (professional and collegiate) and related articles such as its groups, recordings, institutions, and public figures on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.A CappellaWikipedia:WikiProject A CappellaTemplate:WikiProject A CappellaA Cappella articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale.

Classical music

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Classical music, which aims to improve, expand, copy edit, and maintain all articles related to classical music, that are not covered by other classical music related projects. Please read the guidelines for writing and maintaining articles. To participate, you can edit this article or visit the project page for more details.Classical musicWikipedia:WikiProject Classical musicTemplate:WikiProject Classical musicClassical music articles

Biography: Musicians

	Biography portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles
	This article is supported by WikiProject Musicians (assessed as Mid-importance).

California Low‑importance

	California portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject California, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the U.S. state of California on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.CaliforniaWikipedia:WikiProject CaliforniaTemplate:WikiProject CaliforniaCalifornia articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Jazz Mid‑importance

	Jazz portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Jazz, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of jazz on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.JazzWikipedia:WikiProject JazzTemplate:WikiProject JazzJazz articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.
	This article has been automatically rated by a bot or other tool because one or more other projects use this class. Please ensure the assessment is correct before removing the `\|auto=` parameter.

Biography[edit]

Maybe someone could add information regarding his early life, such as where he lived, his parents' divorce, and etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Username4wiki (talk • contribs) 08:29, 24 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Technique[edit]

It would be nice to add something about the special techniques he's learnt and applied during his career. Once I saw and heard him do a entire phrase singing 2 notes at a time, tuned almost perfectly. I found that amazing!

This is in reference to the unsubstantiated claim that he uses throat singing to produce multiple notes. The technique where he produces two notes simultaneously has often been likened to throat singing, which was made popular by monks from Tuva. After seeing numerous clips of McFerrin performing his song "Drive" and producing those note combinations, it is clear that he is not engaging in Tuvan throat singing, but is in fact buzzing his lips to produce the low note while humming the high note. He does it exceptionally well, but it isn't Tuvan throat singing, which is based on eerie high-pitched overtones that require a sustained moaning growl and an open mouth. 65.102.51.4 (talk) 04:16, 1 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please sign your comments with four tildes, thus: ~~~~
Mlibby 17:16, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another thing to add to a "technique" section: the "circular breathing" that McFerrin does on the track "Ave Maria" on the album "Hush" (and in live performances of the same). He's basically inhaling while singing the higher notes, and the smoothness and tuning with which he does it is so phenomenal that you don't even notice he's doing it (until you realize that he hasn't stopped for a breath in two and a half minutes). This circular breathing technique was mentioned, in passing, in a (brief) album review in Rolling Stone (back around when the album was released, obviously, like c. 1991), so that might be a decent reference to use. Mlibby 17:27, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Though I'm all for adding information about McFerrin's awesome technical skill as a singer, I don't think he's using the technique Rolling Stone described. For one thing, according to its standard definition circular breathing can't be used for singing; it's a technique that involves holding air in the cheeks, not producing sound in the vocal cords while inhaling. It's certainly possible to produce clear notes while inhaling, and I wouldn't be surprised if McFerrin were quite capable of singing this way. But the necessary adjustment in vocal tension when going from exhaled to inhaled sound production, even if you're Bobby McFerrin, probably takes more time than just taking a quick breath and resuming normal singing. No one can "blend" inhaling and exhaling; there just has to be a break. I suspect the album recording was simply edited to remove breaths. An engineer could seamlessly combine two different takes of McFerrin's vocal, one where he breathes in the odd measures and one in the even, for example. As for live recordings, there's an amazing video of him performing Ave Maria in which he's clearly taking a breath during every third or fourth arpeggio. Skotoseme 09:11, 8 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Anyway, I would definitely like to see us list some more stuff on McFerrin's various techniques (more than what's currently listed in the first paragraph); maybe something approaching an "index" of recordings in which he uses certain techniques. Cross-link it to stuff in the musical performance techniques category or something like that. Mlibby 17:28, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Parody on The Simpsons' "I'm Worried - Need Money"[edit]

83.109.144.150 (2006-01-25): Can anyone confirm this? I recently saw a documentary on Bobby McFerrin. It said that "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was a result of Bobby McFerrin, in studio, making fun of a sign saying "stu dios" (instead of studios) using spanish accent. Thus the spanish/latin accent in the song. Bobby McFerrin himself also said that "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was written and recorded in just a couple of hours (total time from idea to recorded song).

Minnesota[edit]

Why the link to "people from minnesota" at the bottom of the article?

He is (was?) the creative chair of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota, so maybe he lives there? ... discospinster 23:23, 22 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's pretty speculative (on the part of whoever added it to the article). I think we should get a reference on this one or else nuke it. Mlibby 17:16, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bueller... Bueller. The description on the category says "People who are notable for their lives in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota". I'd like to see a reference portraying Bobby as a Minneapolis local (e.g. from a Minneapolis newspaper saying "Bobby's our guy" or something). Otherwise, we need to drop the category. I'll check back in a week or two. Mlibby 18:14, 22 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Nuking as threatened. Mlibby 01:29, 4 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Suicide[edit]

Didn't Bobby Mcferrin commit suicide?

 -> No, but it was much funnier thinking he did.

[1] Snopes confirmed this rumour as false.

The fact that he's still alive should give you some indication as to the veracity of this rumor! :p Although, this was an urban myth that circulated during the early to mid 90s. Much like the "Jarrod from Subway is dead" rumor, neither had any basis in fact. (192.43.227.18 (talk) 23:47, 30 July 2008 (UTC))[reply]

Family Guy: "Fat Guy Strangler"[edit]

Re: "He also provided the voice of a singing caveman in the episode etc.": This needs a reference. You could probably do it as simply as linking to a credits page on IMDB or something. mlibby 17:32, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Let me clarify: the phrase "provided the voice of etc." makes it sound like Bobby McFerrin actually collaborated with the shows makers to produce the scene and so he presumably should be credited as voice talent. Otherwise, I'm guessing it's likely that they just sampled some songs of his, or maybe got a "sound-alike" person to impersonate his sound (it's obvious that I haven't seen the episode). Since this is a biography of a living person and since some people (e.g., in Bobby's fan base) see "Family Guy" as an off-color sort of show, it'd be a good idea for us to have an actual citation on this comment, or else remove it. So far, the only thing a reader could be sure of is that discospinster thinks that a voice used in this particular scene sounds like Bobby McFerrin. mlibby 13:06, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

YouTube links[edit]

This article is one of thousands on Wikipedia that have a link to YouTube in it. Based on the External links policy, most of these should probably be removed. I'm putting this message here, on this talk page, to request the regular editors take a look at the link and make sure it doesn't violate policy. In short: 1. 99% of the time YouTube should not be used as a source. 2. We must not link to material that violates someones copyright. If you are not sure if the link on this article should be removed or you would like to help spread this message contact us on this page. Thanks, ---J.S (t|c) 05:21, 10 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Error in opening section?[edit]

'..."1812 Overture," in which the orchestra members sing their musical parts (i.e. "ta da dum, ta da dum, ta da dum dum dum")...'

Surely "ta da dum, ta da dum, ta da dum dum dum" is the opening of the William Tell Overture, not the 1812, as stated in the initial secion of the article? He conducted The Vienna Philharmonic in an a capella version of the former at The Proms three or four years ago.

Various shortcomings[edit]

1. There is no mention that he has been the first vocalist to tour singing a capella and actually redefined the role of vocalist in music. He is also probably the most influential jazz vocalist today.
2. It is stated he has 4 octave voice. I'm quite sure that his range is a little bigger.
3. I don't understand what is this whole "jazz-influenced" vocalist - sure not all his pieces are jazz, so what??
4. He doesn't always perform a capella as said in the first sentence of the article - he has his Voicestra and as seen in Discography - he performed with many other artists.
23:12, 25 January 2007 (UTC)prorok lebioda 5. It is said "In 1987, he sang the theme tune to The Cosby Show..." I don't recall The Cosby Show ever having a theme song that wasn't all-instrumental. Is this correct?Webgrunt (talk) 17:30, 16 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Where was he born?[edit]

This article says Madeley, Shropshire, but the official bio on his website says New York. Anybody know anything concrete? Bws2002 (talk) 23:10, 5 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In an email I got an hour ago from McFerrin's agency (Original Artists), a certain Mr. Fred Miller confirmed that Mcferrin was born in Manhattan, NY. That issue was also raised in the Hebrew Wikipedia, and I thought you guys should also know :-) --Itay Banner (talk) 21:15, 8 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Additional information: "He [Robert McFerrin Sr.] married Sara Copper in 1949; she was a Howard University graduate and singer who gave up her career to further his. She was also a polio victim and was in an iron lung while pregnant with their son, Robert Jr. (Bobby), one of their two children." (http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=3266) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Voiceperson (talk • contribs) 18:53, 8 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Grammy awards[edit]

Someone wrote in the main article that McFerrin had won additional grammy awards to those listed. I checked the archive at grammy.com and this is not the case. The Grammys as listed are correct. Manning (talk) 08:02, 12 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Drive" does not use overtone singing[edit]

McFerrin is also capable of throat singing — as used in his song "Drive" from the 2005 DVD Live in Montreal — a practice common in central Asian regions such as Tuva and Tibet in which the singer excites the natural overtones from the fundamental vocal pitch, producing a two-or three-part chord of notes from one voice.

This is incorrect: in "Drive", McFerrin harmonizes with himself by humming one note with his vocal chords while producing another by vibrating his lips. He does not use overtone singing (though I don't know that he is incapable of it). Video is on YouTube. spikey (talk) 23:57, 2 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

World Science Festival[edit]

Should include something about him being a guest speaker for the section/talk "Notes & Neurons" in the 2009 World Science Festival. Here's a source: Notes & Neurons Eagle Pilot (talk) 04:45, 24 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Scope or Breadth[edit]

Shouldn't the page include something about his broad scope and range of songs?. At a recent concert, he included: Bach Prelude with the audience singing Gounod's Ave Maria, his 8(?) minute version of the Wizard of Oz, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, the theme from the Beverly Hillbillies, numerous improvised vocals and more. His scope partly defines his unique position / contribution in music. Also his audience participation should be emphasized since it makes him more than a traditional performer, but an orchestrator of everyone's music. The recent concert included ~10 impromptu audience soloists. (I'm a new contributor, a huge Bobby Fan, so just suggesting these ideas, tho I see this categorized under "Classical")Peter1925 (talk) 10:16, 5 May 2010 (UTC) Peter1925 (talk) 13:33, 3 May 2010 (UTC) 3 May 2010 peter1925[reply]

Video for Spontaneous Inventions[edit]

From 1986, was known and praised abroad; 48 minutes long, Hollywood Aquarius Theater--Revery (talk) 07:28, 7 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sources belong here, not in external links[edit]

These sources do not ever belong in External links. I have moved the link farm from there to this talk page where they do belong. Warning: I didn't check them over, so be careful in choosing any references here. Thank you! --Leahtwosaints (talk) 02:03, 2 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Request for Comment: New WikiProject for A Cappella-related articles[edit]

Hi there! To any and all interested: I've proposed a WikiProject dedicated to a cappella. This would be a group of editors interested in improving the quality of articles related to a cappella. If you're passionate about a cappella—ranging from groups like the Pentatonix to pioneers like Bobby McFerrin, or perhaps pop culture representations like Pitch Perfect and The Sing-Off—please check out the proposal and share your thoughts!

Here's a link to the proposal for WikiProject A Cappella.

If you could see yourself contributing to an article related to a cappella (like this one), please consider joining!

—Shrinkydinks (talk) 20:28, 8 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Discography request[edit]

discography should include the album Paper Music, which was released in 1995 by Sony Classical; on which McFerrin conducted the orchestra and performed as a vocalist. This can be verified on any number of reliable websites; AllMusic or Amazon among them.

Also not included in discography is his 2013 album spirityouall on Sony Masterworks, which includes traditional spirituals and newer spiritual songs. Also verifiable on Amazon or AllMusic or numerous other sources — Preceding unsigned comment added by Musiclistsareus (talk • contribs) 10:13, 2 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]