John Paul Larkin, better known under the pseudonym Sketman John, is an American musician with a unique performing style, combining dance music and vocal "sket" technique. The most famous compositions of the artist are the song "Skatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop) and" Scatman's World ", which became hits in 1997.
The recordings of Sketman John’s songs are sold worldwide in millions of copies. Then he received the prestigious Echo`s World Music Award in the nomination "Best New Artist" in Japan and Germany.
Biography
Sketman John was born in California. Since childhood, he suffered from severe stuttering. At the age of 12, he began to learn to play the piano and first became acquainted with a vocal technique called "sket", listening to the recordings of such artists as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
The instrument has become a way of expression for the boy. He preferred to communicate with people through music - to play more and talk less.
In the seventies, Sketman John (whom everyone else called John Larkin then) became known in professional circles as a brilliant pianist. He was often invited to perform in jazz clubs in Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
First records
In 1981, jazz saxophonist Sam Phipps invited John to play the keyboard part in his album "Animal sounds". This disc was the first work of Sketman, which became widely known.
After 5 years, Transition released their first solo album. His name consisted of his true name and surname - "John Larkin." The producer of this disc was the artist himself.
Original style
In 1990, Larkin moved to Germany. He continued to give numerous jazz concerts and in his spare time listened to a lot of music in this style. It was in Germany that he first decided to add several songs to his repertoire (previously the musician performed only instrumental compositions).
Having made this decision, John sang the jazz standard "On the sunny side of the street" at one of his concerts, causing a storm of applause from the audience. Spectators standing applauded the debutant.
John used a technique called Sket in his vocal numbers. So called singing without words imitating the sound of various instruments. The performer instead of the text pronounces meaningless syllables. In this case, the artist usually uses his voice more as a musical instrument than a means of transmitting information.
Nickname
An employee of the record company Iceberg records (Denmark) suggested that John combine the vocal technique of "sket" with modern dance music and hip-hop. At first, Larkin did not like this idea and he refused.
The singer was afraid that listeners would realize that he was suffering from stuttering. Then his wife Judy advised him to sing about this. He soon recorded his first hit, "Scatman ...".
After the release of the single, the artist began to perform under the pseudonym Sketman John.
World fame
In 1995, when the singer turned 53 years old, the music of Sketman John conquered the whole world. His debut single rose to the top of the charts in many countries. The total number of discs sold was six million copies. The song "Scatman's world" took 10th place on the UK chart. The clips of Sketman John, shot on these two songs, became very famous.
Inspired by the success, the artist recorded his debut album, which was also warmly received by the army of his fans.
After finishing work on the disc, the singer went on a concert tour in Europe and Asia. Remembering his performance in Spain, Sketman John said: "The audience shouted so hard that I could not start another song for five minutes."
In 1996, Sketman John released his second album, "Everybody jam!", Which failed to replicate the European success of its predecessor. However, the singer was still very popular in Japan. In this country, even cans with Coca-Cola decorated his photographs.
Death
In early 1998, Sketman John was diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite the ban of doctors, he continued to work hard to record new songs. In June 1999, the artist recorded his fourth and last album. After that, he went on a tour of 24 cities in the United States of America.
During a performance on November 26, 1999 in Cleveland, the singer fainted. The concert had to be interrupted. The artist was placed in a hospital in the city, where his condition returned to normal. A week later, John returned home to Los Angeles. Even during his illness, Sketman did not become discouraged, saying: "Everything that the Lord does is good for me. I have lived a very good life." The singer died in December 1999.