Some time ago, the concept of One hit wonder appeared among music lovers. This is the name of the artist who became famous only thanks to one single song. Many classify in this category the hero of this article - Bobby MacFerrin. However, it is worth recognizing that this opinion is usually held by only those people who are little familiar with his work.
Greatest hit
Bobby McFerrin’s song Don’t worry be happy, released on the single in the late eighties, is still one of the most frequently broadcast songs.
Since the musician no longer had records that would achieve such commercial success, many music lovers judge his work only by this work. This track is usually included in all collections of the best songs of the eighties.
Confusion
On the Internet you can find many publications in which anyone is called the performer of this song, Bobby McFerrin, but not he. People, laying out a track on social networks, often sign it with the names of other artists. Most often, the performer of the song is mistakenly considered to be Bob Marley.
In fact, the king of reggae never sang this song. Moreover, it was written and became known to listeners in the late eighties of the XX century, that is, several years after the death of Bob Marley.
Outstanding song
Before proceeding to the description of other works of Bobby McFerrin, a few words should be said about his biggest hit. In 1988, the song hit the number one spot on Billboard magazine. The uniqueness of this case lies in the fact that this composition is performed by acapella, that is, without musical accompaniment.
This is the first such song that managed to take a leading position in the charts.
Exotic origin
The Indian sage and mystic Meher Baba, who became very popular in the second half of the 20th century in the West, usually used the expression: "Do not worry and be happy" in conversations with his students. In the sixties, a lot of postcards and posters were issued, on which this phrase was present.
In 1988, Bobby McFerrin saw such a poster in a hotel room where the famous jazz duo Tuck & Patti stayed.
Inspired by the charming simplicity of this slogan, the musician soon wrote a song that was included in the soundtrack of the film "Cocktail" with Tom Cruise in the title role. This romantic comedy is about a young student from New York who works in his free time at the bar. Once on the beach he meets his future wife, an aspiring actress.
The song, released as a single, soon became a hit.
In his interviews, Bobby McFerrin often said that the refrain of this composition is "a deep philosophy in four words." However, the artist soon changed his attitude to the work, he admitted that he was tired of it. For many years, the singer has not performed at concerts.
Form style
No other musicians took part in this recording, except for Bobby MacFerrin himself. All “instruments” were simulated by the singer’s voice. In this case, a technique called overdubbing was used - multiple recording and overlapping of the same batch. As a result of using this method, a powerful "orchestral" sound is usually obtained.
This performance has become a trademark of Bobby MacFerrin. Improvisation on famous topics in a similar style always delights the audience at the artist’s concerts.
Creative career
Bobby McFerrin was born into a family of opera singers and received an excellent musical education. He began his career as a pianist, playing in various jazz ensembles of the late seventies. In 1977, he suddenly decided to become a singer. The musician recalls this: “I will never forget the moment when an unexpected thought occurred to me:“ Bobby, why don’t you sing? ”And maybe it’s stupid of me, but I immediately started working over the realization of his dreams. "
Then there was a series of musical groups in which he participated already as a vocalist. The singer, John Hendricks, drew attention to the young performer, masterfully owning his voice. Bobby McFerrin went on a big concert tour with this artist. After one of the performances, another fateful meeting took place in the life of the singer. He met comedian Bill Crosby, who had a great influence on the formation of the musician's style.
Albums
In 1982, Bobby McFerrin released his first album. The disc was designed in the genre of pop music. The singer was not able to fully demonstrate his wonderful vocal technique.
Bobby McFerrin quickly realized his mistake, and his next work, entitled "The Voice", was praised by music critics.
The singer realized that his strength is live performances. Therefore, this disc was recorded during a concert tour in Germany. All songs on this album are sung by acapella, which allows you to appreciate the virtuosity of this artist.
One of the famous music journalists wrote the hero of this article: “McFerrin uses a wide range of vocal techniques. A stunning technique of performance allows you to sing while inhaling and exhaling and to be your own choir in Blackbird and TJ
Bobby McFerrin has released 20 albums, including solo works and CDs, recorded with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Chick Koria.
He proved himself not only as a jazz performer, but also as a classical musician. The artist often performs with various orchestras as a conductor. Bobby McFerrin's Montreal Concert was released in 2003 on DVD.