Bobby McFerrinan unofficial fan site

My story · Sean Fenlon

The photo I didn’t take.

Bobby McFerrin spoke at my graduation. He turned the podium around. Afterward, a few feet from him, I passed on a picture.

Bobby & mePeabody · May 23, 2002 · not taken
01 · Peabody, May 23, 2002

Thursday night, Friedberg Hall.

I earned my doctorate at Peabody. Our diploma ceremony was at 8 p.m. in the Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall, and the speaker was Bobby McFerrin. Peabody gave him the George Peabody Medal the same night.1,2,3

02 · The turn

He turned the podium around.

My account

He irreverently turned the speaker podium around 180 degrees so he was talking to the graduates with his back to the audience instead of vice versa.

He spoke in arcane language that I could not fully comprehend or follow.4

Diagram: the podium turned 180 degreesA podium between two groups. It starts facing the audience, then turns all the way around to face the graduates, its back to the audience.US, THE GRADUATESTHE AUDIENCE
Not to scale. The dashed outline is where the podium faced before he turned it.
03 · Outside, after

A few feet away.

After the ceremony, I was standing a few feet away from him while greeting my parents outside.

My dad asked me if I wanted to get a pic with him and I declined.

It was before my obsession with him via the Try This at Home DVD.4

I so regret it.

04 · November 24, 2008

Twenty copies.

Then I saw Try This at Home. I ordered it for 20 DoublePositive team members, in the darkest days of the Great Recession. I handed them out at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, at the DoublePositive holiday party, in December 2008.5

Nov 24, 2008
Order placed
20 × $14.49
Try This at Home, sold by Amazon.com
$289.80
Grand total
Dec 2008
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, the holiday party
My Amazon order details page: order placed November 24, 2008, 20 copies of Try This at Home at $14.49, grand total $289.80
The receipt, uncropped, from my own records. The DVD cover in it is the only image of Bobby on this site outside the video players. Tap to enlarge.
05 · December 2, 2008

Eight days later.

Eight days after that order, I registered bobbymcferrinmusic.com.6 You’re on it.

06 · Washington

Warner Theatre, with Terri.

My wife Terri and I saw Bobby sing VOCAbuLarieS live in Washington, very likely on June 11, 2011, at the Warner Theatre, with Howard University’s Afro Blue.4,24,25 The only video I’ve found of that night is 47 seconds from the audience, in Set IV.

07 · Heroes

And a wish.

Two of my heroes, Chick Corea and Jacob Collier, made music with Bobby. Both are in Set III. A third, Pat Metheny, wrote in 2006 that Bobby once sat in with his trio on “Better Days Ahead.”22 I’ve never found a recording. I wish one existed.

I’ve built appreciation sites for Pat Metheny, Hank Levy and Don Ellis. This one was overdue.

Not the photobobbymcferrinmusic.com · 2026

No photo. So I made this instead.

— Sean Fenlon