 Multi-talented bop-pop jazz singer/songwriter Bobby McFerrin has been captivating audiences for two decades, combining his jazz and classical background with a post-modern flare that has drawn the attention of fans and musical peers alike. McFerrin has won praise for his extraordinary vocal appearances, his best-selling recordings and his collaborations with other jazz gurus. The 1980s were full of award winning albums and endeavors by McFerrin. Before his monster success with the 1988 release Simple Pleasures, which featured "Don't Worry, Be Happy," McFerrin had already won two Grammys for Another Night in Tunsia. He also recorded Spontaneous Inventions in 1986, a collaborative effort which featured Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Jon Hendricks and Robin Williams. Around this time, Cosby looked up McFerrin again and asked him to sing the theme song to his hit TV series, "The Cosby Show." The soundtrack to Bertrand Tavernier's "'Round Midnight" became another Grammy-winning enterprise and by 1990, his success as a solo artist and performer was soaring to great heights. 1992 saw two more collaborative releases by McFerrin, including Hush, which featured cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, and Play, which contained noted performances of jazz standards with Chick Corea. The latter won McFerrin his 10th Grammy award. In 1994, McFerrin became the Creative Chairperson to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra where he developed CONNECT (Chamber Orchestra's Neighborhood Network of Education, Curriculum and Teachers) and established himself as a classical conductor and soloist. He has since led the Chamber Orchestra and the Dale Warland Singers. The Sony release of Paper Moon captured his debut as a conductor and has remained in the Top 10 of Billboard's Classical Charts since its 1995 premier. McFerrin continues his work as an orchestra conductor and has most recently collaborated with the San Francisco Symphony. His innovations in this field have led to debuts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, members of Hamburg's MDR Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic. His work with the Bang!Zoom jazz quartet was featured on the album of the same name in 1996. McFerrin is currently putting his efforts into composing an opera for the San Francisco Opera. His latest release, Circlesongs, was released in 1997.
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