Scatman Crothers was a multi-talented entertainer of the old school. In addition to acting, he sang, danced, did comedy and played a number of musical instruments, including drums, ukulele and guitar.

Born Benjamin Sherman Crothers in Terre Haute, Indiana, on May 23, 1910, at fifteen he got a job playing drums in a local speakeasy. Four years later he was touring the Midwest and wound up in Dayton, Ohio, where he found a job on radio station WFMK, where his style of singing earned him the name Scat Man.

His career gained momentum in 1943 with a booking at Chicago’s Capitol Lounge, and from there, he was off to Hollywood and Billy Berg’s famous Swing Club. Things slowed down after the war, until he recorded “Dead Man’s Blues” for Capitol in 1948, the same year he became the first black performer to host a TV Programin Los Angeles.

Playing as a single at the Oasis club, his big break came in 1952 when producer Albert J. Cohen offered him a part in his upcoming movie, 'Meet Me at the Fair,' which started Crother’s extensive film career, including such classics as Stanley Kubrick's staple 'The Shining' and Milos Forman's Oscarized movie 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.'

But TV was where Crothers really found fame, beginning with Disney’s 'The Aristocats.' Until his death he participated on countless shows, a work which earned him a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On November 22, 1986, Crothers died at the age of 76 at his home in Van Nuys, California, after struggling with lung cancer for nearly four years.

—Taken from the back liner notes of The Scat Man Crothers "R&B Legacy 1944-1956" (FSRCD 1110)