John Paul Larkin (March 13, 1942 – December 3, 1999), known professionally as Scatman John, was an American musician. A prolific

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

and vocalist for several decades, he rose to prominence during the 1990s through his fusion of

scat singing In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

. He recorded five albums, which were released between 1986 and 2001. In the United States and Europe, Larkin is recognized for his 1995 singles "

Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" is a song by American musician Scatman John. It was released in November 1994 as a single, and was later re-released in July 1995 for his second album, ''Scatman's World'' (1995). The song is described as "a ble ...

" and " Scatman's World". He achieved his greatest success in Japan, where his album '' Scatman's World'' (1995) sold over a million copies. Larkin was also a recipient of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's

Annie Glenn Anna Margaret Glenn (née Castor; February 17, 1920May 19, 2020) was an American advocate for people with disabilities and communication disorders and the wife of astronaut and senator John Glenn. A stutterer from an early age, Glenn was notabl ...

Award for outstanding service to the stuttering community and a posthumous inductee to the

National Stuttering Association The National Stuttering Association (NSA) is a United States support group organization for people who stutter. Its headquarters are in New York City.El Monte, California } El Monte ( Spanish for "The Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the San Gabriel Valley, east of the city of Los Angeles. El Monte's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte" and is historica ...

. He had a severe stutter by the time he learned to speak. This stutter contributed to his emotionally traumatic childhood. At age twelve, he began to learn the piano and was introduced to the art of

two years later through records by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

and Louis Armstrong, among others. The piano provided him with a means of artistic expression to compensate for his speech difficulties, and he "hid behind hepiano because ewas scared to speak."

Musical career

His first known performance on a studio album was in 1981 on the album ''Animal Sounds'' by

Sam Phipps Sam "Sluggo" Phipps (born 1953) is an American saxophone player, best known for being a member of the new wave band Oingo Boingo. Early life Sam Phipps was born in Los Angeles, California. He played piano and trombone from an early age, but an ...

. In 1986, he released the self-titled album ''John Larkin'' on the Transition label. This album was produced by John himself, along with Marcia Larkin. It featured

Joe Farrell Joseph Carl Firrantello (December 16, 1937 – January 10, 1986), known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name o ...

on saxophone.

"Scatman John"

To advance his career in 1990, Larkin moved to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, Germany. Once there, he discovered an appreciative jazz culture and started playing jazz gigs.
Scatman John’s Interview with Ira Zimmerman
', mnsu.edu. This was when he first decided to take a monumental step away from his insecurities and add singing to his act for the first time, heavily inspired by the standing ovation he received for his rendition of the song "

On the Sunny Side of the Street "On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a 1930 song composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Some authors say that Fats Waller was the composer, but he sold the rights to the song. It was introduced in the Broadway musical '' Lew Lesli ...

". Soon after, his agent Manfred Zähringer from Iceberg Records (Denmark) thought of combining

with modern

and hip hop effects. Larkin was hesitant at first, terrified of being laughed at and criticized once again, but BMG Hamburg was open. Larkin was worried that listeners would realize he stuttered, and his wife, Judy, suggested that he talk about it directly in his music. Working with dance producers Ingo Kays and Tony Catania, he recorded the first single, "

". After his first big hit, he adopted the new name and persona of "Scatman" John. In 1995, at age 53, Larkin became a worldwide star. Sales of his debut single were slow at first, but they gradually reached number one in many countries and sold over six million records worldwide. "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" charted highly across Europe and Japan and remains his biggest-selling and most well-known song.
Scatman John's “Scatman” single’s positions
', Dutchcharts.nl. He later followed up with the song " Scatman's World" entering the

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 10, which met lesser but still notable success, selling a million copies and charting highly throughout Europe. In 2019, "Scatman's World" had some resurgence after becoming an internet meme.
Scatman John's "Scatman's World" single’s positions
', Dutchcharts.nl. Following the success of these two singles, he released his debut album as Scatman John, also titled '' Scatman's World'', which entered the top 10 album charts in many countries including his then home Germany, charts-surfer.de. as well as in Switzerland, Finland and Norway;
Scatman John's "Scatman's World" album’s positions
' dutchcharts.nl. the album eventually sold millions of copies worldwide, becoming so popular that a Scatman John design appeared on

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

cans. He began a promotional and concert tour of Europe and Asia. Referring to a performance in Spain, Larkin said, "the kids screamed for five minutes straight, I couldn't start the song". The second Scatman John album, ''

Everybody Jam! ''Everybody Jam!'' is the second major label (and third overall) studio album by Scatman John. The album continues along the thematic lines of the first album but with an evolved sound, and cemented his popularity in Japan, released there with fi ...

'', was released in 1996. While nowhere near as successful on an international level as his debut, the album and accompanying single took off in Japan, the country in which he would see success on a larger scale than anywhere else in the world. In Europe, subsequent singles failed to replicate the chart success of his first two singles, giving him the title two-hit wonder. The Japanese version of ''Everybody Jam!'' included a total of five bonus tracks, including the hit singles there Su Su Su Super Ki Re i and "Pripri Scat", which were commissioned by Japanese companies for commercials for cosmetics and pudding respectively. The

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

franchise even jumped on the Scatman bandwagon, releasing a single titled ''Scatultraman'', the cover art of which featured the Ultraman characters wearing Scatman's trademark hat and mustache. The album reached No. 45 in Switzerland.

Illness and death

In late 1998, Larkin was diagnosed with lung cancer, but he continued his musical work despite being told to take it easy from his substantial workload. In June 1999, Larkin released his fourth and ultimately final album as Scatman John, '' Take Your Time''. Shortly afterwards, he was sent into intensive treatment. Larkin died at his home in Los Angeles on December 3, 1999, at the age of 57, surrounded by his wife Judy, his mother Harriet, and his brother Bill. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

, and in 2001, his ashes were scatted over the Pacific Ocean near

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

. Even while suffering, Larkin remained positive, saying “Whatever God wants is fine by me ... I’ve had the very best life. I have tasted beauty.”

Discography

* ''John Larkin'' (1986) * '' Scatman's World'' (1995) * ''

'' (1996) * '' Take Your Time'' (1999) * ''Listen to the Scatman'' (2001; released posthumously)

Biographies

In 2022, 23 years after his death, a comic biography about Scatman John's life was published, written with the help of John's manager Manfred Zähringer, the producers of his hit singles and albums and other people who knew him during his career.

References

External links

*
Scatman John Discogs Profile
a short profile and list of singles and albums released by Scatman John or containing his music {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Scatman 1942 births 1999 deaths American dance musicians American electronic musicians American expatriates in Germany American expatriates in Japan American house musicians American jazz musicians American jazz pianists Eurodance musicians Deaths from lung cancer in California People from El Monte, California Singers from California Scat singers 20th-century American singers RCA Records artists Jazz musicians from California American male pianists 20th-century American male singers American male jazz musicians 20th-century American pianists People with speech impediment