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. |
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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)
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)
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).
Why the link to "people from minnesota" at the bottom of the article?
Didn't Bobby Mcferrin commit suicide?
-> No, but it was much funnier thinking he did.
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))
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)
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)
'..."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.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
From 1986, was known and praised abroad; 48 minutes long, Hollywood Aquarius Theater-- Revery ( talk) 07:28, 7 May 2010 (UTC)
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)
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!
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)
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: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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)
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)
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).
Why the link to "people from minnesota" at the bottom of the article?
Didn't Bobby Mcferrin commit suicide?
-> No, but it was much funnier thinking he did.
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))
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)
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)
'..."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.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
From 1986, was known and praised abroad; 48 minutes long, Hollywood Aquarius Theater-- Revery ( talk) 07:28, 7 May 2010 (UTC)
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)
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!
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)