Artist:Bobby McFerrin
Song:Don't Worry, Be Happy
Album:Jazz Masters
Don't Worry, Be Happy topped the charts for two weeks in 1986. It also won three Grammys including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It was the only hit single for a cappella jazz singer Bobby McFerrin. He was born Mar. 11, 1950 in Manhattan, NY. His parents Robert McFerrin and Sara Copper were opera singers. His family moved to Los Angeles where he attended California State College in Sacramento and Cerritos College. After touring with the Ice Follies and the group Astral Projection, McFerrin met comedian Bill Cosby who who got him a slot on the 1980 Playboy Jazz Festival. This led to two albums on Elektra's jazz label Elektra Musician. After that label was closed, McFerrin signed with Blue Note. Don't Worry, Be Happy is from McFerrin's second Blue Note album Simple Pleasures. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and it won three Grammys. There's no band. McFerrin performs all the vocals with overdubs. It was the first a capella song to top the pop charts. McFerrin's inspiration for the song was a phrase used by Indian mystic Meher Baba. The music video featured comics Robin Williams and Bill Irwin. And the song appeared in the popular Tom Cruise film Cocktail. Those two things are likely what made the song a hit. Though it is a one hit wonder, jazz singers are not expected to have hit singles in the first place. He left Blue Note for Sony in 1992. This budget comp covers McFerrin's Blue Note recordings. He has recorded with Chick Corea and Yo Yo Ma among others. McFerrin's most recent album was Spirityouall in 2013, a tribute to his dad. I'm not sure if McFerrin is still under contract with Sony but he still tours. He was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2020. Here's the video for Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin.
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