Robert McFerrin

Robert Keith McFerrin Sr. (March 19, 1921 – November 24, 2006) was an American operatic baritone, notable for being the first African-American man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His voice was described by critic Albert Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times as "a baritone of beautiful quality, even in all registers, and with a top that partakes of something of a tenor's ringing brilliance."

McFerrin was the father of Grammy Award-winning vocalist Bobby McFerrin.

Early years Born in Marianna, Arkansas, There, his musical horizons widened. He joined the choir and impressed the director, Wirt Walton, sufficiently that he began teaching McFerrin privately. Walton also arranged for McFerrin's first vocal recital to help him earn funds for his college enrollment. as Valentin in Faust and in Iphigénie en Tauride by Gluck. That year he also performed as Amonasro in Aida with the National Negro Opera Company and made his New York City Opera debut, singing the role of Popaloi, a voodoo doctor, in the premiere of William Grant Still's Haitian opera Troubled Island.

In 1950 McFerrin sang the title role in Rigoletto with the New England Opera. Moving between opera and Broadway, in 1951 he performed in a revival of The Green Pastures, and the following year he sang in My Darlin' Aida, a version of Verdi's Aida updated to 1861 and set in Memphis, Tennessee. With his Rigoletto in 1956, McFerrin became the first African-American in history to sing a title role at the Met. He was also the first African-American to sing at both the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera. He achieved the same distinction with his Rigoletto in Naples at the San Carlo Opera in 1956. The soundtrack was released as an LP.

McFerrin and his wife set up a vocal studio in Los Angeles and began teaching.

Later years In 1973, McFerrin returned to St Louis, where he had attended high school; it remained his primary residence for the rest of his life. He accepted an appointment as artist-in-residence at the St. Louis Institute of Music Conservatory, both performing and teaching.

During these years, he sang in public with his children. Bobby and Brenda had grown up in a household where music was a major topic of conversation, and where, as Bobby McFerrin recalls, "there was all kinds of music." Both Bobby and Brenda became professional singers, though they chose not to follow their parents' footsteps into the classical field. Bobby became a non-classical singer, conductor, composer and Grammy Award winner. Calling herself a consumer vocalist, Brenda pursued a career as a Motown recording artist.

McFerrin was twice awarded honorary doctorates: in 1987 from Stowe Teacher's College, St. Louis, In 2003, Opera America, in conjunction with the Association of U.S. and International Professional Opera Companies and Opera Volunteers International, honored McFerrin with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is commemorated by a brass star and bronze plaque embedded in the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

McFerrin suffered a heart attack on November 24, 2006, and died in St. Louis at the age of 85. He is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Role model McFerrin's accomplishments as a black man in the field of classical singing served as an inspiration to singers of color who followed, especially men. Upon McFerrin's death, the African-American tenor George Shirley wrote, "Robert McFerrin Sr.'s heart was that of a giant; as one of the world's greatest singers and courageous pioneers, he instilled within me and countless other black males the resolve to pursue our destinies as performers in the profession of grand opera. In spite of the personal hardships he endured, his magnificent voice retained its amazing power and beauty well into his 8th decade..."

His son, Bobby McFerrin, said in an interview, "His work influenced everything I do musically. When I direct a choir, I go for his sound. His musical influence was absolutely profound. I cannot do anything without me hearing his voice." The following is a list of known recordings.

Excerpts from Rigoletto, for the Metropolitan Opera Club (1956). His "Cortigiani" with Fausto Cleva conducting, called "consummate," was also later released in 2001 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild in a collection called Met Stars Sing Verdi (see below under external links). Aida, live recording, with the Teatro San Carlo (1956). This recording, conducted by Vincenzo Bellezza, was originally identified as "The Golden Age of Opera GAO 130." Porgy and Bess, LP soundtrack of the 1959 movie, Columbia OL 5410 "Deep River" and Other Classic Negro Spirituals (June 1957) Let's Learn a New Song, a children's album recorded in the 1960s Medicine Music, EMI Records (USA), UPC: 077779204823, released 1990. This CD is a Bobby McFerrin release in which he sings the song "Discipline" with his father, Robert McFerrin Sr. Classic Negro Spirituals, with Norman Johnson, Piano. Washington Records, 235 West 46th Street, New York, New York, 1959.