Overview

John Larkin – a fast-living, hard-playing, stuttering jazz pianist – overcame abuse, addiction, ageism, and obscurity to stage one of the most improbable debuts in pop music history by turning his greatest pain into his purpose. At 52, Larkin was a recovering alcoholic and veteran pianist, haunted by shame because of his lifelong stutter. His stutter meant he could scat-sing better than anyone else on the planet, grabbing and firing syllables like bullets – yet he couldn’t even say his own name. But when a small, indie record label took a gamble on an oddball fusion of John’s scat-singing and dance music, his life changed overnight: Scatman John was born. In 1995, his singles “Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)” and “Scatman’s World” shot to #1 across Europe and Asia, turning a man who’d spent his life hiding into a global star. Audiences were captivated by the absurdity and charm of a middle-aged man in a fedora, machine-gunning syllables over a dance beat. But behind the novelty was a deeper story: John’s scat-singing was creative camouflage for his stutter – his music, a last-ditch attempt to survive. When fame finally found him, he chose to reach others who felt broken or silenced, especially stutterers like him, by harnessing the one thing he was most afraid of: his voice. Based on rare archives and interviews with those who knew him best, this authorized biography is a redemptive, deeply human story of struggle, heartbreak, and triumph. For anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider, this book inspires with a powerful message: your deepest fear can become your greatest strength, and your pain can become your purpose.

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Reviews

Bravo, Gina! I got to play and record with John when he was a jazz pianist, and years later, he transformed into ‘The Scatman.’ Wow, I've learned so much about his hard-lived journey from this book. -- Sam Phipps * Oingo Boingo * An amazing story. Like Scatman's own life, this book is an ode to the astonishing power of music as a means of expression, redemption, self-acceptance, and, ultimately, triumph. -- Geoff Spink * former BBC Age & Disability Correspondent; disability rights campaigner * With meticulous research and careful reporting, Gina Waggott has crafted a memorable portrait of a man all people—no matter how they speak—should take the time to know better. -- John Hendrickson * author of Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter * What a gift John Larkin was to the world. And what a gift Gina Waggott has given us in capturing all the vivid details of his buoyant life. Here was a life full of pain and deep love, despair and joy, a talent shared with the world just in time. Scatman John will give anyone who has ever felt shame a great deal of hope. -- Katherine Preston * author of Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice * Scatman John is a brilliant and important testament to the creative power of stuttering. -- Jonty Claypole * former Director of Arts, BBC; author of Words Fail Us: In Defence of Disfluency *

""Bravo, Gina! I got to play and record with John when he was a jazz pianist, and years later, he transformed into 'The Scatman.' Wow, I've learned so much about his hard-lived journey from this book."" --Sam Phipps, Oingo Boingo

""Bravo, Gina! I got to play and record with John when he was a jazz pianist, and years later, he transformed into 'The Scatman.' Wow, I've learned so much about his hard-lived journey from this book."" --Sam Phipps, Oingo Boingo ""What a gift John Larkin was to the world. And what a gift Gina Waggott has given us in capturing all the vivid details of his buoyant life. Here was a life full of pain and deep love, despair and joy, a talent shared with the world just in time. Scatman John will give anyone who has ever felt shame a great deal of hope."" --Katherine Preston, author of Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice ""Gina Waggott's Scatman John is a brilliant and important testament to the creative power of stuttering."" --Jonty Claypole, former Director of Arts, BBC; author of Words Fail Us: In Defence of Dysfluency ""With meticulous research and careful reporting, Gina Waggott has crafted a memorable portrait of a man all people-no matter how they speak-should take the time to know better."" --John Hendrickson, author of Life of Delay ""An amazing story. Like Scatman's own life, this book is an ode to the astonishing power of music as a means of expression, redemption, self-acceptance, and, ultimately, triumph."" --Geoff Spink, former BBC Age & Disability Correspondent and Disability Rights Campaigner

Author Information

Gina Waggott is a writer, editor, and former BBC professional with a background spanning broadcasting, journalism, and disability advocacy. Her work has been published in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Independent, Reader’s Digest, Significance Magazine, and over a hundred different websites for companies such as Microsoft and Amazon UK. A covert stutterer, she is active in several nonprofits serving the global stuttering community and its allies. Visit ginawaggott.com/

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