POP/ROCK - Jan. 1, 1991

Don’t Worry, Start Chanting: Singer Bobby McFerrin kicked off a 24-hour chanting and humming spiritual event at Grace Cathedral atop Nob Hill in San Francisco. The white-robed McFerrin, whose hits include “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” began the chant, dubbed “Singing for Your Life,” standing inside a circle of 22 people in the nave of the church Sunday night. “I’ve become very fascinated with religious and spiritual significance of music in Third World countries, where everything is celebrated and honored,” said the singer. “There’s a reverence toward everyday life that our modern living with its fast tempo is rapidly losing.” McFerrin, who has won nine Grammy Awards, lined up about 300 singers for the event, said the Rev. Lauren Artress, pastor at the Episcopal cathedral. ‘What Bobby is doing here, with the singing and the meditation, is in the tradition of an ancient Christian vigil,” Artress said. “The point is to open up.”