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{{short description|American musician (1942–1999)}}
{{about|Scatman John|the actor and musician|Scatman Crothers}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Scatman John
| image = Scatmanjohn.jpg
| caption = A promotional picture of Scatman John
| alt = A black-and-white head shot of Scatman John
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = John Paul Larkin
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|3|13}}
| birth_place = [[El Monte, California]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|12|3|1942|3|13}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| origin =
| instrument = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* piano
}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|pianist}}
| years_active = 1981–1999
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Eurodance]]
* [[Pop music|pop]]
* [[jazz]]
* [[scat singing|scat]]
* [[hip-hop]]
}}
| label = {{flatlist|
* [[America Records|America]]
* [[RCA Records|RCA]]
* Iceberg
* Transition
}}
| spouse = Judy McHugh Larkin
| website = {{URL|https://scatmanjohn.com/}}
}}
'''John Paul Larkin''' (March 13, 1942 – December 3, 1999), known professionally under the alias '''Scatman John''', was an American musician. A prolific [[jazz pianist]] and vocalist for several decades, he rose to prominence in 1994 through his fusion of [[scat singing]] and [[dance music]]. He recorded five albums, which were released between 1986 and 2002.
In the United States and Europe, Larkin is recognized for his singles "[[Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)]]" and "[[Scatman's World (song)|Scatman's World]]". He achieved his greatest success in Japan, where his album ''[[Scatman's World]]'' (1995) sold over a million copies. Outside of his musical activities, he had deepened exchanges with [[stuttering]] organizations and established the Scatland Foundation in 1996 with the purpose of furthering research of and educating the public on stuttering.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scatmanjohn.com/biography/ | title=Biography – Scatman John | date=December 3, 2022}}</ref> Larkin was a recipient of the [[American Speech–Language–Hearing Association]]'s [[Annie Glenn]] Award for outstanding service to the stuttering community and a posthumous inductee to the [[National Stuttering Association]] Hall of Fame.
==Early life ==
Larkin was born in [[El Monte, California]]. He had a prominent stutter by the time he learned to speak. This stutter contributed to his emotionally traumatic childhood.<ref>{{cite web |author=Egan |first=Andrew |date=January 24, 2017 |title=How Scatman John Got Over His Stutter |url=https://tedium.co/2017/01/24/scatman-john-stuttering-success-story/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128210956/https://tedium.co/2017/01/24/scatman-john-stuttering-success-story/ |archive-date=Nov 28, 2022 |website=Tedium}}</ref> At age twelve, he began to learn the piano and was introduced to the art of [[scat singing]] two years later through records by [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Louis Armstrong]], among others.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Perrone |first=Pierre |date=December 23, 1999 |title=Obituary: John Larkin |language=en-GB |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-john-larkin-1134204.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=February 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228171611/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-john-larkin-1134204.html |archive-date=Feb 28, 2017}}</ref> The piano provided him with a means of artistic expression to compensate for his speech difference, and he "hid behind [the] piano because [he] was scared to speak."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Oliver |first=Myrna |date=December 8, 1999 |title=John Larkin; Scat Singer Overcame Stuttering |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-08-mn-41653-story.html |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023172532/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-08-mn-41653-story.html |archive-date=Oct 23, 2019 |access-date=February 28, 2017 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
==Musical career==
His first known performance on a studio album was in 1981 on the album ''Animal Sounds'' by [[Sam Phipps]]. 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]] on saxophone.
==="Scatman John"===
To advance his career in 1990, Larkin moved to [[Berlin]], Germany. Once there, he discovered an appreciative jazz culture and started playing jazz gigs.<ref name="e">''[http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/famous/irascat.html 'The Stutter And The Scat Is The Same Thing"]'', mnsu.edu, Ira Zimmerman, ''Advance for Speech Pathologists and Audiologists Magazine''. November 20, 1995</ref> 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, inspired by a standing ovation he received for a performance at the Cafe Moscow in Berlin.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stewart |first=Zan |date=1990-12-21 |title=Pianist Has Found Right Voicings |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-21-ca-7039-story.html |access-date=2023-06-23|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Soon after, his agent Manfred Zähringer from Iceberg Records (Denmark) thought of combining scat singing with modern [[dance music]] and [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] effects. Larkin was hesitant at first, terrified of being laughed at and criticized once again, but BMG Hamburg was open.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}}
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 Tony Catania and Ingo Kays, he recorded the first single, "[[Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)]]".<ref name="LarkinDM">{{cite book|title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1998|edition=1st|isbn=0-7535-0252-6|page=300}}</ref> 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.<ref name="LarkinDM"/> "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" charted highly across Europe and Japan and remains his biggest-selling and most well-known song.<ref name="a">''[http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Scatman+John&titel=Scatman+%28Ski%2DBa%2DBop%2DBa%2DDop%2DBop%29&cat=s Scatman John's "Scatman" single's positions]'', Dutchcharts.nl.</ref> He later followed up with the song "[[Scatman's World (song)|Scatman's World]]" entering the [[UK Singles chart|UK Singles Chart]] at number 10, which met lesser but still notable success, selling a million copies and charting highly throughout Europe.<ref name="LarkinDM"/> In 2019, "Scatman's World" had some resurgence after becoming an [[internet meme]].<ref name="b">''[http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Scatman+John&titel=Scatman%27s+World&cat=s Scatman John's "Scatman's World" single's positions]'', Dutchcharts.nl.</ref>
Following the success of these two singles, he released his debut album as Scatman John, also titled ''[[Scatman's World]]'',<ref name="LarkinDM"/> which entered the top 10 album charts in many countries, including his then home Germany<ref name="c">{{cite web |url=http://www.charts-surfer.de/musiksearch.php |title=''Scatman John's "Scatman's World" album position in Germany'' |access-date=June 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212150442/http://www.charts-surfer.de/musiksearch.php |archive-date=December 12, 2009}}, charts-surfer.de.</ref> as well as in Switzerland, Finland and Norway;<ref name="d">''[http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Scatman+John&titel=Scatman%27s+World&cat=a Scatman John's "Scatman's World" album's positions]'' dutchcharts.nl.</ref> the album eventually sold millions of copies worldwide,<ref name="e"/> becoming so popular that a Scatman John design appeared on [[Coca-Cola]] cans.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cokecollection.com/index.php?lang=en&pageid=50&canID=7212 |title=Scatman Coke can |work=CokeCollection}}</ref> 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".<ref name="e" />
The second Scatman John album, ''[[Everybody Jam!]]'', was released in 1996. While nowhere near as successful on an international level as his debut, the album and [[Everybody Jam! (song)|accompanying single]] [[Big in Japan (phrase)|took off in]] Japan, the country in which he would see success on a larger scale than anywhere else in the world.{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}} 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 "[[Su Su Su Super Ki Re i]]" and "Pripri Scat", which were commissioned by Japanese companies for commercials for cosmetics and [[pudding]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ys_X12qv8 |title=Scatman John Commercial |date=2010-03-19 |last=MrScatbeatz |access-date=2025-08-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BkIvQua-8M |title=Scatman John - Su Su Su Super Kirei {{!}} All Commercials |date=2020-11-03 |last=Teilz |access-date=2025-08-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
The [[Ultraman]] 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.<ref>{{Citation |title=Ultraman - スキャットウルトラマン |date=1995-12-16 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/9192760-Ultraman-%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%82%A6%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3 |access-date=2025-08-27 |language=en}}</ref> The album reached No. 45 in Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Scatman+John&titel=Everybody+Jam%21&cat=a |title=Scatman John – ''Everybody Jam!'' (Album) |work=Hitparade.ch |access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref>
==Illness and death==
In late 1998, Larkin was diagnosed with lung cancer. In June 1999, he released his third and final album as Scatman John, ''[[Take Your Time (Scatman John album)|Take Your Time]]''. Shortly afterwards, he was sent into intensive treatment.
Larkin died at home in Los Angeles on December 3, 1999, at the age of 57.<ref name=":1" /> He was [[Cremation|cremated]], and his ashes were scattered at sea off the coast of [[Malibu, California]] two years later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/pioneers/scatman.html|title=Remembering Scatman John Larkin TOC|website=Mnsu.edu}}</ref> He was married to Judy McHugh Larkin, who died in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/judy-larkin-obituary?id=48713256|title=Judy Larkin Obituary|website=Mnsu.edu}}</ref>
==Discography==
{{main|Scatman John discography}}
* ''John Larkin'' (1986)
*
* ''[[Everybody Jam!]]'' (1996)
*
* ''Listen to the Scatman'' (2001; released posthumously, recorded in 1984 and 1990)
==
In 2022, 23 years after his death, Jeff Chi wrote and illustrated ''Who's The Scatman?'', a [[graphic novel]] biography published in German. The comic details Larkin's rise in fame and career, as well as his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Who's the Scatman'' von Jeff Chi|url=https://www.ppm-vertrieb.de/news/3100/WHOS-THE-SCATMAN-von-Jeff-Chi.html |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=www.ppm-vertrieb.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=''Who's the Scatman''|publisher=Zwerchfell Verlag|url=https://zwerchfellverlag.de/whos-the-scatman-2/ |access-date=2023-05-14}}</ref>To gather details about Larkin's life, Chi conducted video chats with those who knew Larkin during his jazz days and Eurodance phase, including John's manager Manfred Zähringer, the producers of his hit singles and albums, and musicians who knew him during his career.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Moises |first=Jürgen |date=2022-05-03|title=Nürnberger Zeichner hat einen Comic über Scatman John gemacht|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/nuernberg-comic-musik-scatman-john-jeff-chi-1.5577513 |access-date=2022-05-20 |newspaper=[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]|language=de}}</ref>
In March 2023, a [[biopic]] on John's life was announced via ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/scatman-john-biopic-film-john-larkin-1235362013/|title=Scatman John Feature Film in the Works (Exclusive)|website=Hollywoodreporter.com|date=March 28, 2023}}</ref> The rights to the life story were given by his estate and the film is set to feature unparalleled access to the entire Scatman library, as well as previously unpublished private home videos.
In September 2024, an authorized [[biography]] on John's life written by Gina Waggott was officially announced for a late 2025/early 2026 release. It is set to be published under [[Bloomsbury Publishing]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scatmanjohn.com/official-scatman-john-biography-to-be-published-in-2025-2026/|title=Official Scatman John Biography to Be Published in 2025/2026|website=scatmanjohn.com|date=September 20, 2024}}</ref> Over half of the book will contain details about Larkin and his life previously never made public. Titled ''Scatman John: The Remarkable Story of the World's Unlikeliest Popstar'', it is set to be released on February 5, 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-18 |title=Scatman John: The Remarkable Story of the World's Unlikeliest Popstar |url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/scatman-john-9798881807078/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=Bloomsbury}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{official|https://scatmanjohn.com/}}
*{{IMDb name|1057303}}
*{{Discogs artist|23386|Scatman John}}
{{Scatman John}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:
[[Category:American electronic musicians]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Germany]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Japan]]
[[Category:American house musicians]]
[[Category:American jazz musicians]]
[[Category:American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:Eurodance musicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in California]]
[[Category:People from El Monte, California]]
[[Category:Singers from California]]
[[
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:RCA Records artists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from California]]
[[Category:American male jazz pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:People with speech disorders]]
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