His name was John Paul Larkin, but he was better known as Scatman John. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementAs a young man, Larkin started playing clubs across the US West Coast, absorbing bebop and blues. By the summer of 1995, Scatman John was top of the charts in a dozen countries. With his family’s blessing, I began to piece together Larkin’s life, and unearthed a preface to a memoir that he had never finished. As Scatman John, he lives on in memes, remixes and nostalgic playlists; his songs have been streamed more than half a billion times.