Scat Man Crothers
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...