The Ink Spots were an American vocal pop group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style predated the

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

musical genres, and the subgenre

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

. The Ink Spots were widely accepted in both the white and black communities, largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny. In 1989, the Ink Spots (Bill Kenny, Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, Jerry Daniels, and Orville Jones) were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

, and in 1999 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Since the Ink Spots disbanded in 1954, there have been well over a hundred vocal groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots", with and without any original members of the group. It has often been the case that these groups claimed to be "second generation" or "third generation" Ink Spots.Goldberg, Marv (1998). ''More Than Words Can Say: The Ink Spots And Their Music''. Scarecrow Press

1930s

Early background of founding members

Daniels and Fuqua formed a vocal duo called "Jerry and Charlie", and performed in the Indianapolis area around 1931. About the same time, Jones and Watson were part of a quartet, "The Four Riff Brothers", who appeared regularly on radio station

WLW WLW (700 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial news/talk radio station city of license, licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as "The Big One". Its studios ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio. In 1933, that group disbanded, and Watson, Daniels and Fuqua got together to form a new vocal, instrumental and comedy group, initially called "King, Jack, and Jester". They continued to appear regularly on radio in Ohio, and became a quartet when Jones joined the following year. In July 1934, they accepted a booking at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

, New York, supporting jazz bandleader

Tiny Bradshaw Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer. His biggest hit was "Well Oh Well" in 1950, and the following year he record ...

. At this point they had changed their name to "The 4 Ink Spots". Later that year, the Ink Spots achieved international success touring the UK with Jack Hylton's Orchestra, one review in the ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' stating: They first recorded for Victor Records in 1935. Their early recordings included such songs as "Swingin' on the Strings", "Your Feet's Too Big", "Don't 'Low No Swingin' in Here" and "Swing, Gate, Swing". Despite their rising popularity as performers, their early records were not commercially successful.

Bill Kenny joins

In 1936, Daniels was replaced by a 21-year-old singer from Baltimore, Bill Kenny, who signed on with the Ink Spots after winning first place in an amateur contest at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. Three years later, Kenny was credited for bringing the group to global success with his unusual high tenor ballad singing. In 1938, after being in the group for two years, Kenny started to introduce the group to a new format that he called "Top & Bottom". This format was used primarily for ballads rather than the uptempo "jive" songs the group was used to performing. This format called for the tenor (Kenny or Watson) to sing the lead for one chorus followed by a chorus performed by bass singer Jones reciting the lyrics rather than singing them. After a chorus of the "talking bass" the lead tenor sang the rest of the song until the end. The earliest example of their "Top & Bottom" format is from a radio broadcast from 1938. The song, titled "Tune In on My Heart", features Kenny taking the lead and Jones performing the talking bass. Also in 1938, Kenny took his first feature solo in Decca studios. His feature was on a song titled "I Wish You the Best of Everything". Although not in the "Top & Bottom" format, it was a ballad and used the signature Ink Spots guitar intro. Even though it got a good response, it was not very successful in terms of record sales and did not reach the pop chart.

"If I Didn't Care" and the late 1930s

On January 12, 1939, the Ink Spots entered Decca studios to record a ballad written by a young songwriter named Jack Lawrence. This ballad, "If I Didn't Care", was to be one of their biggest hits, selling over 19 million copies and becoming the 8th- best-selling single of all time. This is the first studio recorded example of the Ink Spots "Top & Bottom" format with Kenny singing lead and Jones performing the "talking bass". For this recording, each member was paid $37.50; after the record sold 200,000 copies, however, Decca destroyed the original contract and the group was paid an additional $3,750. This was the recording that brought the group to global fame and established the "Top & Bottom" format as the Ink Spots "trademark". From 1939 until the group's disbanding in 1954, many of their songs employed this format. The year 1939 also saw the Ink Spots enjoy commercial success with five other recordings that featured Kenny in the "Top & Bottom" format. Their most successful hit of 1939 was the Lombardo, Marks & Hill ballad, "Address Unknown". Other successful hits from 1939 and early 1940 included " My Prayer", "Bless You", " Memories of You", and " I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You".

1940s

Recordings

Between the years 1940 and 1949 the Ink Spots landed well over 30 hits on the US Pop Charts with 18 of them on the top 10. The group’s first Billboard #1 hit came in 1944, when they teamed up with

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

to record " I'm Making Believe". This recording featured Bill Kenny. In 1946, the Ink Spots earned another #1 spot on the US Pop Charts with " To Each His Own". The Billy Reid composition " The Gypsy" was the Ink Spots' biggest chart success, staying at the #1 position on the Billboard Best Sellers chart for 10 straight weeks in 1946. Other hits for the Ink Spots in the 1940s included "

When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" is a song written by Leon René and first recorded by The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny in May 1940. The Ink Spots' recording of the song reached No. 4 on the US charts. Background René wrote th ...

", " Maybe", " We Three", " I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", " Don't Get Around Much Anymore", " A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening", " Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", and " I'm Beginning to See the Light".

Films

In 1941, the Ink Spots were featured in '' The Great American Broadcast'' starring John Payne and Alice Faye. In the film, the Ink Spots play Pullman porters who sing during their breaks and ultimately "make it big time" and sing live on the radio during a national broadcast. The group sings a short segment of " If I Didn't Care", "Alabamy Bound", and "I've Got a Bone to Pick with You". They also provide background vocals to Faye and Payne on a ballad entitled "Where You Are". The following year, the Ink Spots were featured in an Abbott and Costello film, '' Pardon My Sarong''. In this film, the Ink Spots play singing waiters in a nightclub. They sing the ballad "Do I Worry?" and the swing song "Shout Brother Shout".

Line-up changes

In 1943, Ink Spots baritone singer and guitarist Fuqua was drafted into the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. He chose his friend Bernie Mackey to be his temporary replacement until he returned to the group. After being with the group for two years, Mackey was replaced by Huey Long in March 1945. Long completed the role as a "fill in" until Fuqua finally returned in October 1945. Jones died in October 1944, after collapsing on stage at the Cafe Zanzibar in New York City, near the height of the Ink Spots' popularity. He had been having cerebral hemorrhages for a year, and had fallen ill from the condition in June 1944. Jones was temporarily replaced by Cliff Givens, who filled in from October 1944 to March 1945, before a permanent replacement was found in Bill Kenny's brother (and fraternal twin) Herb Kenny. Herb Kenny sang with the group from 1945 to 1951, when he began a career as a solo artist. The last bass singer in the Ink Spots was Adriel McDonald, who was with the group from 1951 to 1954. McDonald was previously the Ink Spots' personal valet, a job given to him by Herb Kenny, with whom he had sung in a group called "The Cabineers" in the early 1940s. Due to personality clashes between Bill Kenny and Watson after Jones' death, Kenny decided he would rather carry on as the leader of the group and bought Watson's share of the group for $10,000, which gave him the power to kick Watson out of the group. Watson went on to form a group similar in style to the Ink Spots called the Brown Dots (which later became the Four Tunes), and his place was filled by Billy "Butterball" Bowen, who sang with the Ink Spots from 1944 to 1952.

1950s

Final years

In 1952, Fuqua left the group to form his own vocal group using the name "Ink Spots". At this time, Kenny and Fuqua each owned 50% of the Ink Spots, and it was decided by court ruling that Kenny's group was to continue on as the original "Ink Spots", while Fuqua's group was to use the name "Charlie Fuqua's New Ink Spots". Defying the court ruling, Fuqua instead called his group the "Original" Ink Spots. Fuqua was replaced in the Ink Spots by popular jazz and R&B guitarist Everett Barksdale, so the group now consisted of Bill Kenny (lead tenor), Teddy Williams (second tenor), who had replaced Bowen, Everett Barksdale (baritone and guitar), and McDonald (bass). After being with the group for only a few months, Williams was replaced by Ernie Brown. Barksdale stayed with the group for about a year before being replaced by baritone vocalist and guitar player Jimmy Cannady. This line-up of Kenny (lead tenor), Brown (second tenor), Cannady (baritone and guitar), and McDonald (bass) lasted until 1954, when the final change of lineup was made. In April 1954, Brown was replaced by Henry Braswell, who sang with the Ink Spots for their final three months. Kenny officially disbanded the Ink Spots in July 1954, after an appearance at the Bolero Bar in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Members

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame #Hoppy Jones (born as Orville Jones, February 17, 1905,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

– d. October 18, 1944,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) sang

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

. He played a small

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

in the manner of a stand up bass. # Deek Watson (born as Ivory Jones, July 18, 1909 (some sources say 1913),

Mounds A mound is an artificial heap or pile, especially of earth, rocks, or sand. Mound and Mounds may also refer to: Places * Mound, Louisiana, United States * Mound, Minnesota, United States * Mound, Texas, United States * Mound, West Virginia * Moun ...

, Illinois – d. November 4, 1969,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

) sang

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

and played

tenor guitar The tenor guitar or four-string guitar is a slightly smaller, four-string relative of the steel-string acoustic guitar or electric guitar. The instrument was initially developed in its acoustic form by Gibson and C.F. Martin so that players o ...

. # Jerry Daniels (b. December 14, 1915 – d. November 7, 1995,

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

) sang tenor and played guitar and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

. # Charlie Fuqua (b. October 20, 1910 – d. c. 1970,

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, Connecticut) had a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

voice and played guitar and tenor guitar. # Bill Kenny (b. June 12, 1914,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, U.S. – d. March 23, 1978,

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

, Canada) sang lead tenor.

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:400 PlotArea = left:95 bottom:80 top:20 right:5 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1931 till:07/01/1954 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = position:bottom ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1931 gridcolor:black Colors = id:JerryCharlie legend:As_Jerry_and_Charlie value:rgb(1,0.7,0.7) # light red id:FourRiff legend:Part_of_The_Four_Riff_Brothers value:rgb(0.7,0.7,1) # light yellow id:KingJack legend:As_King,_Jack,_and_Jester value:rgb(1,1,0.7) # light blue id:The4InkSpots legend:As_The_4_Ink_Spots value:rgb(0.7,1,0.7) # light green id:Lead legend:Lead_tenor value:red id:Baritone legend:Baritone value:blue id:Bass legend:Bass value:yellow id:Second legend:Second_tenor value:green PlotData = width:9 align:left bar:Jerry Daniels from:start till:01/01/1933 color:JerryCharlie bar:Jerry Daniels from:01/01/1933 till:07/01/1934 color:KingJack bar:Jerry Daniels from:07/01/1934 till:01/01/1935 color:The4InkSpots bar:Jerry Daniels from:01/01/1935 till:01/01/1936 color:black bar:Charlie Fuqua from:start till:01/01/1933 color:JerryCharlie bar:Charlie Fuqua from:01/01/1933 till:07/01/1934 color:KingJack bar:Charlie Fuqua from:07/01/1934 till:01/01/1935 color:The4InkSpots bar:Charlie Fuqua from:01/01/1935 till:01/01/1943 color:black bar:Charlie Fuqua from:10/01/1945 till:01/01/1952 color:black bar:Hoppy Jones from:start till:01/01/1933 color:FourRiff bar:Hoppy Jones from:07/01/1934 till:01/01/1935 color:The4InkSpots bar:Hoppy Jones from:01/01/1935 till:10/01/1944 color:black bar:Deek Watson from:start till:01/01/1933 color:FourRiff bar:Deek Watson from:01/01/1933 till:07/01/1934 color:KingJack bar:Deek Watson from:07/01/1934 till:01/01/1935 color:The4InkSpots bar:Deek Watson from:01/01/1935 till:12/01/1944 color:black bar:Bill Kenny from:01/01/1936 till:07/01/1954 color:black bar:Bernie Mackey from:01/01/1943 till:03/01/1945 color:black bar:Cliff Givens from:10/01/1944 till:03/01/1945 color:black bar:Billy Bowens from:12/01/1944 till:01/01/1952 color:black bar:Herb Kenny from:03/01/1945 till:01/01/1951 color:black bar:Huey Long from:03/01/1945 till:10/01/1945 color:black bar:Adriel McDonald from:01/01/1951 till:07/01/1954 color:black bar:Everett Barksdale from:01/01/1952 till:01/01/1953 color:black bar:Teddy Williams from:01/01/1952 till:06/01/1952 color:black bar:Ernie Brown from:06/01/1952 till:04/01/1954 color:black bar:Jimmy Cannady from:01/01/1953 till:07/01/1954 color:black bar:Henry Braswell from:04/01/1954 till:07/01/1954 color:black width:3 align:left bar:Jerry Daniels from:01/01/1935 till:01/01/1936 color:Lead bar:Charlie Fuqua from:01/01/1935 till:01/01/1943 color:Baritone bar:Charlie Fuqua from:10/01/1945 till:01/01/1952 color:Baritone bar:Hoppy Jones from:01/01/1935 till:10/01/1944 color:Bass bar:Deek Watson from:01/01/1935 till:12/01/1944 color:Second bar:Bill Kenny from:01/01/1936 till:07/01/1954 color:Lead bar:Bernie Mackey from:01/01/1943 till:03/01/1945 color:Baritone bar:Cliff Givens from:10/01/1944 till:03/01/1945 color:Bass bar:Billy Bowens from:12/01/1944 till:01/01/1952 color:Second bar:Herb Kenny from:03/01/1945 till:01/01/1951 color:Bass bar:Huey Long from:03/01/1945 till:10/01/1945 color:Baritone bar:Adriel McDonald from:01/01/1951 till:07/01/1954 color:Bass bar:Everett Barksdale from:01/01/1952 till:01/01/1953 color:Baritone bar:Teddy Williams from:01/01/1952 till:06/01/1952 color:Second bar:Ernie Brown from:06/01/1952 till:04/01/1954 color:Second bar:Jimmy Cannady from:01/01/1953 till:07/01/1954 color:Baritone bar:Henry Braswell from:04/01/1954 till:07/01/1954 color:Second

Non-original Ink Spots groups

Disputes over the rights to use the Ink Spots name began in the late 1940s, resulting in many court cases. Starting in 1954, groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" sprang up all around the United States. Some groups contained original members Fuqua, McDonald, Bowen, or Watson, but most had no ties to the original group whatsoever. Many groups claimed to have the rights to the name, but no one did. Still, lawsuits were filed between various groups and there was great confusion as to who owned the naming rights. Some groups avoided lawsuits by naming themselves "The Fabulous Ink Spots", "The Famous Ink Spots", "The Amazing Ink Spots", "The Sensational Ink Spots", "The Dynamic Ink Spots", and more. According to writer Marv Goldberg: "The original group was a partnership, not a corporation, and that influenced judge Isidor Wasservogel to say, in 1955, that when Hoppy Jones died in 1944, it effectively served to terminate the partnership and that no one could truthfully use the name after that." From 1954 to the present, more than 100 groups have used the name "The Ink Spots". In 1967 US federal judge Emmet C. Choate ruled that since so many groups had been using the name "Ink Spots" it had become "public domain" and was free for anyone to use.

Charlie Fuqua's Ink Spots

In 1952, Fuqua left the original Ink Spots led by Kenny to form his own Ink Spots group. Fuqua recorded dozens of singles with his group for King Records as well as releasing two LP (long play) albums for Verve Records. In 1963 Fuqua's group also recorded one 45 RPM record for Ford Records. Fuqua led and was a member of various vocal groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" until his death in 1971.

Deek Watson's Ink Spots

Watson, who had been forced out of the original Ink Spots in 1944 and briefly sang with Charlie Fuqua's Ink Spots in 1952–1953, started his own vocal group using the name "The Ink Spots" in 1954. Watson made numerous recordings with his "Ink Spots" groups in the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the recordings Watson made with his groups were released and re-released on various low budget labels. Watson led various groups until his death in 1969.

Legitimate members of the Ink Spots

Legitimate members of the Ink Spots included Bill Kenny, Jerry Daniels, Deek Watson, Charlie Fuqua, Hoppy Jones, Bernie Mackey, Huey Long, Cliff Givens, Billy Bowen, Herb Kenny, Adriel McDonald, Jimmy Cannady, Ernie Brown, Henry Braswell, Teddy Williams and Everett Barksdale. Pianists and arrangers included Bob Benson, Asa "Ace" Harris, Ken Bryan, Mort Howard (arranger), Bill Doggett, Ray Tunia, Harold Francis and Fletcher Smith. Some singers have tenuous ties to Deek Watson's or Charlie Fuqua's offshoot groups; many, with no credentials whatsoever, claim to be original members.

Legacy and honors

*1946 Cashbox award for making "The Gypsy" the biggest money making song of the year. *1948 awarded a plaque from the Negro Actors Guild for their efforts in "breaking down the walls of racial prejudice". *1989, the Ink Spots were inducted into the

as "early influences" by Bobby McFerrin; the members were listed as Bill Kenny, Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, Jerry Daniels, and Orville Jones. *1989, the Ink Spots' 1939 recording of "If I Didn't Care" was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

*1999, the Ink Spots were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

The Ink Spots in popular culture

Television appearances

The Ink Spots were television pioneers when, on November 6, 1936 they were the first musical group to perform live on television, during an NBC test broadcast held at the NBC/RCA Building for the press. In 1948, they were the first black performers to appear on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

''. The Ink Spots made guest appearances on Milton Berle's ''

Texaco Star Theater ''Texaco Star Theater'' is an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave M ...

'' on three separate occasions in 1949, on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' three times (1948, 1950, and 1952), on

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...

's ''Songs For Sale'' twice in 1952, and on '' Star of the Family'' once in 1952.

Music videos and live footage

In 1946, a short documentary about nightlife in New York City called "March of Time" featured a clip of the Ink Spots singing "I'd Climb The Highest Mountain" live at the Cafe Zanzibar; the clip and outtakes can be found for viewing on various websites. In 1947, cameras captured segments of the Ink Spots in live performance at the Daily Express Film Ball in London England; this footage can be obtained by British Pathe. In 1951, Snader Telescriptions produced five "soundies" (also known as music videos) of the Ink Spots. These clips feature the group lip-syncing to the songs "If I Didn't Care", "You May Be the Sweetheart of Somebody Else", "The Gypsy", "I'm Heading Back to Paradise", and "It Is No Secret". Bill Kenny's wife Audrey portrays "the gypsy" in the video for "The Gypsy" and can also be seen serving food to the Ink Spots in "You May Be the Sweetheart of Somebody Else". Billy Bowen's wife Ruth Bowen is seen walking through the set carrying a dog (Bill Kenny's actual pet) and serving drinks in "You May Be the Sweetheart of Somebody Else".

Ink Spots music used in television and film

The Ink Spots' music has been used in the films '' Get Low'', '' Radio Days'', '' Raging Bull'', '' Revolutionary Road'', ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American Prison film, prison Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. The film t ...

'', '' The Aviator'', '' Iris'', ''

Sphere A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

'', ''

Trees Lounge ''Trees Lounge'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chlo ...

'', ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

'', '' Maria's Lovers'', '' How to Make an American Quilt'', ''

Men Don't Leave ''Men Don't Leave'' is a 1990 American comedy-drama film starring Jessica Lange as a housewife who, after the death of her husband, moves with her two sons to Baltimore. Chris O'Donnell, Arliss Howard, Joan Cusack, Charlie Korsmo and Kathy ...

'', ', '' Joe Versus the Volcano'', '' Spontaneous Combustion'', '' Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business'', ''

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

'', '' Mr. Nobody'', '' Hyde Park on Hudson'', '' The Rover'', '' Twenty Bucks'', '' Manchester by the Sea'', '' Logorama'', and '' Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives''. The Ink Spots' music has been used in such TV shows as '' The Walking Dead'', ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', '' The Visitor'', '' The Tourist'', '' The Singing Detective'', '' Sanford'', ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives ...

'', '' Defiance'', ''

Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...

'', ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'', '' White Collar'', ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

'', ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'', '' Fallout'', and '' Heroes''. The Ink Spots' music has also been featured in the NBC comedy radio program '' The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show''.

The Ink Spots in video games

Recordings by the Ink Spots have been featured in the popular ''Fallout'' video game franchise. Their recording of "Maybe" was used as the opening theme of '' Fallout'' (1997), as well as in the epilogue. It was also played on the in-game radio station Galaxy News Radio in '' Fallout 3'' (2008), alongside their recordings of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall". "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" also features in both the game's trailer and its opening cinematic. The song "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" (Bill Kenny's solo, not original recording from 1941) is played on the in-game radio station Radio New Vegas in the 2010 video game '' Fallout: New Vegas''. In 2015, the group was once again featured in the ''Fallout'' franchise, when their recording of the Russ Morgan and Seger Ellis ballad "It's All Over but the Crying" was used in the trailer for '' Fallout 4''; that song is also played on the in-game radio station Diamond City Radio, alongside "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Maybe", and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall". The former two songs appear once more in '' Fallout 76'', alongside "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)". '' BioShock'' and '' BioShock 2'' have also made use of the group's recordings: "If I Didn't Care" and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" in the former, and "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)", "I'm Making Believe", and "Memories of You" in the latter. Still others were included in '' Mafia II'' and on the in-game radio stations in '' L.A. Noire''.

Miscellaneous

*The song " Jukebox Saturday Night", made famous by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, references the Ink Spots, imitating the iconic Ink Spots guitar intro and the group's style of singing during much of the second half of the recording. *

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician, bandleader and conductor specializing in spoof arrangements and satire of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment wer ...

's 1945 version of " You Always Hurt The One You Love" featured vocalists Carl Grayson and Red Ingle imitating the Ink Spots' "top and bottom" vocal gimmick during the first half of the recording. *The Ink Spots appeared as a guest quartet on the April 4, 1948, episode of '' The Jack Benny Program,'' singing a version of " If I Didn't Care" as the advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes. *In

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of America ...

's 1952 cartoon '' Magical Maestro'', Poochini gets sprayed in the face with black ink and then sings a couple of bars of "Everything I Have Is Yours", imitating Kenny and then Jones. *In 1960, The Quarry Men (composed of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

, and

Stuart Sutcliffe Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a British painter and musician from Edinburgh, Scotland, best known as the original bass guitarist of the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a pa ...

, later to form

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

) recorded " You'll Be Mine", an Ink Spots parody. *

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

mentioned the group twice in his 1962

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

novel '' The Spy Who Loved Me'', when the leading female, Vivienne Michel, recalls a love affair from her past. She recalls hearing " Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat", and mistakenly credits the group with singing "Only a Paper Doll to Call My Own" (an apparent reference to The Mills Brothers' song " Paper Doll"). Bond himself overhears the group singing " Java Jive" aboard the ''US Manta'' submarine in '' Thunderball''. *The Ink Spots were mentioned in several episodes of the 1970s NBC sitcom '' Sanford and Son'', as one of Fred Sanford's favorite groups, with series star

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movemen ...

crooning their song, "If I Didn't Care". Reportedly, Foxx had royalties for singing their music taken out of his salary out of love for the group and because NBC would not pay for the rights. *In the 1980s, a commercial for Chanel No. 5 included a version of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" sung solo by Bill Kenny, the former lead tenor of the group, with an unknown studio vocal group for a 1977 CBS Records LP entitled ''The Ink Spots – If I Didn't Care''. The recording was used in the ad without permission from Kenny's executrix and widow Audrey Kenny. In 1982, Mrs. Kenny took legal action and, according to Bill Kenny's former pianist Bev Gore-Langton, was successful. The commercial depicted the Transamerica Pyramid building in San Francisco with the shadow of a plane flying overhead. *In the 1980s, "Java Jive" was used in commercials for

Sanka Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Heinz. History Decaffeinated coffee was developed in 1903 (see Dec ...

coffee, prominently featuring the likes of

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

and Gregory Hines. *"Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" was sung by

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...

in the

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

short '' The Big Snooze''. *The original 1982 theatrical trailer for the movie ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...

'' prominently featured a short clip of "If I Didn't Care", and the song is used in the early "workprint" version of the film, but it was replaced in the theatrical and all subsequent releases with "One More Kiss, Dear", an original composition in a similar vocal and melodic style. *Heavy metal group

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

used a 1955 recording of "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire" recorded by a later "imposter" Ink Spots group on their 1988 album '' So Far, So Good... So What!'' as an introduction to the song " Set the World Afire". *The Ink Spots were the subject of a 1998 book by Marv Goldberg, ''More Than Words Can Say: The Ink Spots and Their Music''. *Several of the Ink Spots' original recordings are used in the off-Broadway production '' Sleep No More'', which first opened in 2011. *The recording "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" has been featured in multiple television shows and short films, being played at the end of the 2009 short film '' Logorama'', as well as at the end of a special seasonal episode, " Treehouse of Horror XVII", on ''

.'' * The Ink Spots' version of " I'm Beginning to See the Light" with

is featured in the 2016 film '' Manchester by the Sea''. * The Ink Spots' song "Address Unknown" plays during the opening of the first episode of ''

''. Additionally, the group's rendition of " We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" plays over the opening scene of the episode "

Smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...

". * The Ink Spots songs feature throughout ''Fallout'' season 1; "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" closes episode 8. * The Ink Spots are the subject in one of the comic letters that form the "Going Places" chapter in the book ''Letters From a Nut'' by Ted L. Nancy. In that letter, the author asks information for “The Ink Spots Day” fictional festival that, according to Nancy, will take place in West Hollywood. The mayor of West Hollywood answers the petition saying that event won’t be in his city but adds “The Ink Spots are a favorite of mine.”

Selected discography

Compilation albums

* '' Ink Spots'' (1946) * '' If I Didn't Care'' (1979)

Select Singles

Notes

References

External links

Vocal Group Hall of Fame page on The Ink Spots

Ink Spots recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ink Spots, The American rhythm and blues musical groups Musical groups from Indianapolis King Records artists Top Rank Records artists American vocal groups Musical groups established in 1934 Musical groups disestablished in 1954 Musical groups from New York City

1930s

Early background of founding members

Bill Kenny joins

"If I Didn't Care" and the late 1930s

1940s

Recordings

Films

Line-up changes

1950s

Final years

Members

Timeline

Non-original Ink Spots groups

Charlie Fuqua's Ink Spots

Deek Watson's Ink Spots

Legitimate members of the Ink Spots

Legacy and honors

The Ink Spots in popular culture

Television appearances

Music videos and live footage

Ink Spots music used in television and film

The Ink Spots in video games

Miscellaneous

Selected discography

Compilation albums

Select Singles

Notes

See also

References

External links