Scatman John ( real name : John Paul Larkin ) ( born March 13 , 1942 in El Monte , California â `` died December 3 , 1999 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American jazz musician and singer . John Paul Larkin ( March 13 , 1942 â `` December 3 , 1999 ) , better known by his stage name Scatman John , was an American jazz musician and rapper who created a fusion of scat singing and dance music , best known for his 1994 hit `` Scatman ( Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop ) '' .