About Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American improvisational vocal musician, singer, songwriter, and conductor. His vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion. McFerrin performs and records regularly as an unaccompanied solo vocal artist and has frequently collaborated with other artists from both the jazz and classical scenes. McFerrin's song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is the only a cappella track to ever reach No. 1 in the US, which it reached in 1988 and additionally won Song of the Year and Record of the Year honors at the 1989 Grammy Awards. He has also worked in collaboration with jazz fusion instrumentalists including pianists Chick Corea (of Return to Forever), Herbie Hancock (of The Headhunters), and Joe Zawinul (of Weather Report), drummer Tony Williams, bassist/vocalist Richard Bona and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. McFerrin's first recorded work, the self-titled album Bobby McFerrin, was not produced until 1982, when he was 31 years old. Before that, McFerrin had spent six years developing his musical style, the first two years of which he attempted not to listen to other singers at all, in order to avoid sounding like they sounded. In 1986, McFerrin was the voice of Santa Bear in Santa Bear's First Christmas, and in 1987, he was the voice of Santa Bear/Bully Bear in the sequel Santa Bear's High Flying Adventure.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.