The Ink Spots

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The Ink Spots
General information
Genre (s) Rhythm and Blues , Doo Wop
founding early 1930s
resolution 1954
Founding members
Jerry Daniels (until 1936)
Tenor singing
Deek Watson (until 1945)
Charlie Fuqua (until 1944, 1945–195?)
Hoppy Jones (until 1944)
Last occupation
Tenor singing
Bill Kenny (from 1936)
Henry Braswell (1954)
Bass vocals
Adriel McDonald (from 1950)
former members
Baritone singing
Bernie Mackey (1944-1945)
Bass vocals
Herb Kenny (1945-1950)
Tenor singing
Bill Bowen (1945–1951)
Bass vocals
Cliff Givens (1945)
Baritone singing
Huey Long (1945)
Tenor singing
Teddy Williams (1951-195?)
Tenor singing
Ernie Brown (195? –1954)
Tenor singing
Essex Scott (1954–1955)
Baritone singing
Everett Barksdale (195? –1954)
Baritone singing
Jimmy Cannady (195?)

The Ink Spots were a vocal group that had a number of hits, especially in the 1940s, paving the way for rhythm and blues , especially doo wop .

history

The group was founded in Indianapolis in the early 1930s by Jerry Daniels, Ivory "Deek" Watson, Charlie Fuqua and Orville "Hoppy" Jones. In 1936 lead singer Daniels left the Ink Spots, a replacement in Bill Kenny was found. After some unsuccessful recordings with Victor Records , the hit ballad If I Didn't Care appeared on Decca in 1939 , which remained the record holder for singles for a long time with around 19 million copies sold and initiated a number of other hits.

By 1943, We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me) , When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano , Whispering Grass , Do I Worry , Java Jive and Shout, Brother, Shout were published . In 1944 a collaboration with Ella Fitzgerald brought about the hits Cow-Cow Boogie and I'm Making Believe , another success that year was Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall .

But there were also a number of line-up changes this year and the following year. Fuqua joined the military and was replaced by Bernie Mackey, Jones died at the end of the year. Watson also left the Ink Spots in 1945 to start his own band; for him came Bill Bowen. As a replacement for Jones, Cliff Givens found the Ink Spots for a short time, who was replaced shortly afterwards by Bill Kenny's brother Herb. In the meantime, Mackey went his own way again, and Huey Long was a new member. At the end of the year Fuqua's term of service was over, he returned to the Ink Spots, whereupon Long left the group again.

In 1946, the group's biggest hit, The Gypsy , appeared alongside To Each His Own . This line-up continued until the 1950s, when Herb Kenny left the Ink Spots. Bill Kenny began to release solo recordings in addition to working with the group. There were a number of other line-up changes until the group split up in 1954. In Great Britain , the Ink Spots entitled You're Breaking My Heart had their greatest success in 1949. The song reached number 1 on the NME charts and was in the top ten for 20 weeks. With Melody of Love they had a second top ten hit in 1955. The album The Best of the Ink Spots went gold in the UK .

Since the end of the 1950s there have been numerous different ink spot reunions, none of which, however, brought about any notable success. In 1989 the Ink Spots were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the “Early Influences” category; In 1999 she was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame .

Discography

album

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
US US
1946 Ink spots US1 (15 weeks)
US
Best of
1946 album in the charts for 13 weeks, re-entry in 1949 for 2 weeks (8th place)

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
UK UK US US R&B R&BTemplate: chart table / maintenance / charts non-existent
1939 Address Unknown - US1US -
Authors: Vaughn Horton, Denver Darling, Gene Autry
Bless you - US15thUS -
Authors: Eddie Lane, Don Baker
If I didn't care - US2US -
Author: Jack Lawrence
Million Seller; was before Rock Around the Clock (1954) as the best-selling single
My prayer - US3US -
Authors: Georges Boulanger , Jimmy Kennedy
in the same year a number 2 hit for Glenn Miller , in 1956 a number 1 hit for the Platters
You bring me down - US14thUS -
Authors: Al Jacobs, Gene De Paul
1940 When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano - US4 (11 weeks)
US
-
Writer: Leon René
a number 2 hit for Glenn Miller that same year
Maybe - US2 (14 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Allan Flynn, Frank Madden
with Whispering Grass on a single
Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) - US10 (1 week)
US
-
Authors: Doris Fisher, Fred Fisher
with Maybe on a single
a parody of Windsor Davies and Don Estelle was a number one hit in Great Britain in 1975
Stop Pretending (So Hep You See) - US18 (2 weeks)
US
-
Author: Buddy Johnson
We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me) - US3 (14 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Nelson Cogane, Sammy Mysels, Dick Robertson
with My Greatest Mistake on a single
the version by Frank Sinatra also reached number 3 in the same year
My greatest mistake - US17 (1 week)
US
-
Authors: Jack Fulton, Jack O'Brien
with We Three on a single
1941 Java Jive - US17 (2 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Ben Oakland, Milton Drake
with Do I Worry? on a single
Do I Worry? - US14 (4 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Stanley Cowan, Bobby Worth
with Java Jive on a single
I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire - US4 (8 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham
that same year a number one hit for Horace Heldt
1942 Someone's Rocking My Dream Boat - US20 (1 week)
US
-
Authors: Leon René, Emerson Scott, Otis René
Don't Get Around Much Anymore - US2 (16 weeks)
US
R&B1 (28 weeks)
R&B
Original: Duke Ellington (1940) instrumental; Version with lyrics by Bob Russell for Ink Spots in 1942 and number 1 R&B hit for Duke Ellington in 1943
Ev'ry Night About This Time - - R&B6 (4 weeks)
R&B
This Is Worth Fighting For - - R&B9 (1 week)
R&B
Authors: Eddie DeLange, Sam H. Stept
with Just as Though You Were Here on a single
Just as Though You Were Here - - R&B10 (1 week)
R&B
Authors: John Benson Brooks, Eddie DeLange
with This Is Worth Fighting For on a single
1943 If I Cared a Little Bit Less (And You Cared a Little Bit More) - - R&B10 (1 week)
R&B
Authors: Berkeley Graham, Carley Mills
I Can't Stand Losing You - - R&B1 (16 weeks)
R&B
Authors: Billy Kenny, Josef Myrow , Kim Gannon
the song is originally from 1940
1944 Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay) - US10 (8 weeks)
US
R&B1 (12 weeks)
R&B
with Ella Fitzgerald ; Fitzgerald sang the song in 1942 in the Abbott and Costello film Heroes in the Saddle. In
the same year, the version of Freddie Slack and Ella Mae Morse hit the charts.
Authors: Don Raye , Gene De Paul , Benny Carter
Don't Believe Everything You Dream - US14 (9 weeks)
US
R&B6 (3 weeks)
R&B
Film: Around the World with Kay Kyser ; Authors: Jimmy McHugh , Harold Adamson
A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening - US17 (1 week)
US
-
Authors: Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson
B-side of Don't Believe Everything You Dream
I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) - US7 (10 weeks)
US
R&B4 (14 weeks)
R&B
Film: Fight in the Clouds with Spencer Tracy
1929 a hit for Ruth Etting ; Authors: Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk
Someday I'll Meet You Again - US11 (1 week)
US
-
Authors: Max Steiner , Ned Washington
B-side of I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)
Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall - US1 (18 weeks)
US
R&B1 (21 weeks)
R&B
with Ella Fitzgerald; Film: Sweet and Low-Down with Benny Goodman ; Authors: Doris Fisher , Allan Roberts
Millionenseller, 11 weeks at number 1 on the R&B charts
I'm making believe - US1 (17 weeks)
US
R&B2 (14 weeks)
R&B
with Ella Fitzgerald; Movie: Sweet and Low-Down ; Authors: James V. Monaco , Mack Gordon
B-side of Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
1945 I'm beginning to see the light - US5 (6 weeks)
US
-
with Ella Fitzgerald; Authors: Duke Ellington , Don George, Johnny Hodges , Harry James,
Harry James and Kitty Kallen had a number 1 hit that same year
1946 The Gypsy - US1 (23 weeks)
US
R&B1 (13 weeks)
R&B
13 weeks at number 1 on the pop charts; Author: Billy Reid
Million Selling
Prisoner of Love - US9 (11 weeks)
US
R&B5 (1 week)
R&B
Original: Russ Columbo (1932); Authors: Russ Columbo, Clarence Gaskill , Leo Robin
1945 a number 1 hit for Perry Como
To Each His Own - US1 (14 weeks)
US
R&B3 (3 weeks)
R&B
Authors: Jay Livingston , Ray Evans ; originally intended as the title song of the film of the same name (German mother heart ), but not used; Million-seller
in the same year came the versions of Eddy Howard and Freddy Martin at number 1
1947 Ask Anyone Who Knows - - R&B5 (1 week)
R&B
Authors: Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, Al Kaufman
1948 The Best Things in Life Are Free - - R&B10 (1 week)
R&B
You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love) - US8 (8 weeks)
US
R&B15 (1 week)
R&B
Authors: Larry Fotine, Billy Faber, Fred Meadows
Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart - US22 (2 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Roy Bennett, Sid Tepper
B-side of You Were Only Fooling
1949 You're Breaking My Heart - US6 (16 weeks)
US
-
Pop version of Leoncavallos La Mattinata (1904); Authors: Pat Genaro, Sunny Skylar , Ruggero Leoncavallo
a number 1 hit for Vic Damone that same year
Who Do You Know in Heaven (That Made You the Angel You Are?) - US21 (1 week)
US
-
Authors: Peter DeRose, Al Stillman
1950 Echoes - US24 (1 week)
US
-
Sometime - US26 (2 weeks)
US
-
1925 hit for the Green Brothers Novelty Band; Authors: Ted Fio Rito , Gus Kahn
1951 If - US23 (5 weeks)
US
-
Authors: Tolchard Evans, Robert Hargreaves, Stanley Damerell
the version by Perry Como came first in the same year
1955 Melody of Love UK10 (4 weeks)
UK
- -
Authors: Hans Engelmann, Tom Glazer
the instrumental version of Billy Vaughn was a hit in 1954

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Individual evidence

  1. Ehnert, Günter (Ed.): Hit Records. British Chart Singles 1950–1965 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1988, p. 60
  2. Music Sales Awards: UK
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn : Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Albums 1965-1998 . Billboard Books, New York 1999, ISBN 0-89820-134-9 .
  4. The Ink Spots in the UK charts
  5. ^ Billboard Pop Hits Singles & Albums 1940-1954 by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2002, ISBN 978-0-89820-198-7
  6. ^ Hot R&B Singles 1942-2010 by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2010, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4
  7. ^ A b c d before the gold record was introduced in 1958, there were only estimated, unofficial sales figures from the music labels

literature

  • Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940–1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 37-42.

Web links