Scatman John

About

Stuttering singer who turned his disability into an asset, creating the international hits "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" and "Scatman's World."

Before Fame

A stutterer from his youth, he began playing piano so he would not have to talk or sing and then learned scat singing.

Trivia

On the advice of his manager, he combined scat singing with dance music, producing his Scatman John persona, who directly addressed the stuttering problem in his works.

Family Life

He was born in El Monte, California. He and his wife, Judy, worked together to beat their substance abuse problems.

Associated With

His jazz music was inspired by the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.