y
cFerrin -
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onema
By
On Thursday, December 10,
Bobby McFerrin, the original
human bea box d er of
improvisation appeared live at
the Premier Center in Sterling
Heights.
McFerrin, whose unique
talen can be heard weekly on
the Cossby Sho theme, is a
multi-talented multifaceted
per . ose voice range
pans from third to second
sop ano.
His music is a culmination of
ch pping. foot tapping and
various other unusual sounds
made so ely by . own body
ryhthms.
MCFerrin so oed without -
. ante from even one instru­
ment, and imitated each part of
a b a-up band ell sang
all the lyrics t once without the
aid of tape tracks.
At on part in- the program,
cFerrin sang, danced and
acted out th entire Wtzard Of
Oz by himself.
Later, with the . ance of
the audience, he formed an a
cappella choir of pproximately
40 p ople. Each ection as
gi en instructions and a cue
hen to sing, resulting in an
amazing three-part harmony.
Bobby w kind enough to
grant me an interview.
BOB B.Y �m C f £ .R -R I n
..
sr
I n V f\
stJllilled vocaJUZII .. '
A. On July 11, 1977 I ManI
voice inside my head telling me
to be II singf!r. Since then I 1uzve
been exploring ways to produce
the sounds I hearing in my
head.
Q. did you t your
tart?
A. I winged my way through
two hours at my first concert in
Oregon.
Q. Are you ani d?
Yes, Debbie is my Wife who
was with me from the begi!l'ling
when I changed my life so I could
sing.
Q. So, you haven't 1 a15
i r?
A. No, I didn't realize I was a
singer for 'a long time. I went
through all kinds of ideas about
what I wanted to do. I played
clarinet, piano, flute, cello, wrote
and arranged. Then I discovered
that I loved inging because I
could incorporate everything into
my singing.
Bobby McFerrin, an in­
credible musical genius, who
added as he left the stage, "Sing
for your lives, it's good for you."
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