Crothers began his musical career as a teenager. He sang and was self-educated on guitar and drums. He was in a band that played inspeakeasies in Terre Haute, Indiana.[2][3][4] During the 1930s, Crothers formed a band, spending eight years living inAkron, Ohio, and performing five days a week on a radio show inDayton, Ohio. The station manager thought he needed a catchier name, so Crothers suggested "Scatman" for hisscat singing. He married Helen Sullivan, a native ofSteubenville, Ohio, in 1937. In the 1940s, the couple moved toCalifornia.[5]
He performed inLos Angeles andLas Vegas, and at theApollo Theater inHarlem, New York City.[citation needed]Capitol released several of his singles, including "I'd Rather Be a Hummingbird", "Blue-Eyed Sally", and "Television Blues". High Fidelity Records released his albumRock and Roll with Scatman Crothers. He went onUSO tours withBob Hope.[6] Crothers also performed with bandleaderSlim Gaillard. According to the jacket notes of theLet Freedom Sing CD set, Crothers was part of the music group The Ramparts, who sang "The Death ofEmmett Till" (1955), a song byA. C. Bilbrew.[7][8][9]
Crothers became the first black person to appear regularly in a Los Angeles television show when he joinedDixie Showboat.[4] After portraying Scat Cat inThe Aristocats in the 1970s, Crothers found voice acting jobs as Meadowlark Lemon in theHarlem Globetrotters cartoon series and as the title character inHong Kong Phooey. For four years, he played the role of Louie the garbage man onChico and the Man. During his appearance onSanford and Son Crothers joinedRedd Foxx for two musical numbers. One was a version of the standard "All of Me", in which he accompanied Foxx ontenor guitar. In 1966,Hanna-Barbera aired an animated special calledThe New Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid like You Doing in a Place like This?), an updated version of theLewis Carroll story featuringSammy Davis Jr. as theCheshire Cat. The special was followed by an audio adaptation for HB Records, but since Davis was signed toReprise Records, Crothers provided the cat's voice for the album.
Around 1985, Crothers was diagnosed with an inoperable malignant tumor in his lung whichmetastasized to his esophagus. He was bedridden weeks before his death and had slipped into a coma. On November 22, 1986, Crothers died at age 76 at his home inVan Nuys, California after struggling withlung cancer.[4] He is buried atForest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[11]
Beany and Cecil (1959–1962) (multiple episodes and bumpers) - Go Man Van Gogh / Wildman of Wildsville (singing voice only at first, then regular voice)
Bonanza (1961) (Season 3 Episode 1: "The Smiler") – Jud
(Season 8 Episode 15: "Santa, Santa, Santa/Another Dog Gone Christmas/Noel's Christmas Carol") (segment: "Santa, Santa, Santa") (1984) - Malcolm, a Shakespearean actor competing with Ray Walston and Avery Schreiber in the Christmas-themed vignette
