If I didn't care More than words can say If I didn't care Would I feel this way?
If this isn't love, then why do I thrill? And what makes my head Go 'round and 'round While my heart stands still?
If I didn't care Would it be the same? Would my every prayer Begin and end with just your name? And would I be sure that this is love Beyond compare? Would all this be true If I didn't care for you?
"If I didn't care, honey child More than words can say If I didn't care, baby Would I feel this way? Darlin', if this isn't love Then why do I thrill so much? What is it that makes my head Go 'round and 'round While my heart just stands still so much?"
If I didn't care Would it be the same? Would my every prayer Begin and end with just your name? And would I be sure that this Is love beyond compare? Would all this be true If I didn't care for you?
Music in this video
Song: If I Didn't Care
Artist: Ink Spots
Album: Inkspots
Writers: Jack Lawrence
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a sound file of The Ink Spot's 1939 recording of the song "If I Didn't Care".
This post also provides information about The Ink Spots along with information about why that Jazz group was named "The Ink Spots".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to The Ink Spots (the original group) for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
A number of black male quartets have billed themselves as the Ink Spots,
cashing in on the tremendous success of the original singing group which performed
during the 1930s and ’40s. Famous for their song “If I Didn’t Care,” with its
smooth tenor lead and spoken refrain, they were the best known act of their
kind and served as a huge influence on later rhythm and blues groups. The Ink
Spots were also one of the first black acts to become a hit with white
audiences. The Ink Spots made numerous recordings, had regular radio shows, and
performed with the biggest musical stars of their time, including Count Basie
and Ella Fitzgerald. While they were at their peak of popularity, the group
appeared in two Hollywood movies.
After the quartet split up, however, their reputation became
blurred by the splinter groups that were created. And so the Ink Spots have
lost some of the recognition they deserve, according to David Hinckley of the
Daily News; he reflected in 1995 that “the Ink Spots are too often relegated to
the wallpaper of pop music history as if they were one more group that was bright
and new for a while, then got covered over by something brighter and newer.”
Original members of the Ink Spots struggled for many years to distinguish
themselves from copycat acts and to perpetuate the reputation of the group, but
were often fighting amongst themselves. Now that all of these men have passed
away, several “Ink Spots” groups continue to perform, and if they do not have
an authentic pedigree, they do serve to keep the many songs popularized by the
Ink Spots in the public’s ear.
[…]
The group’s founding members were all from Indianapolis.
They were Jerry Daniels, who played guitar and sang lead tenor; Orville “Hoppy”
Jones, who sang bass and played the cello; Ivory “Deek” Watson, a baritone and
songwriter; and Charlie Fuqua, the second tenor and guitarist. The Ink Spots
are sometimes described as having evolved out of the Percolating Puppies, a
group that Deek Watson performed with on street corners in Indianapolis. Watson
was on the road when he met up with Fuqua and Daniels, whom he knew from
Indianapolis. This meeting resulted in the formation of a trio that went by the
name King, Jack and the Jester; the addition of Jones and an “s” to the name
made a quartet.
This foursome moved to New York with hopes of making it big,
but struggled to make a living. For a time, all worked as ushers at the
Paramount Theater. Subsequently, the quartet billed themselves as the Riff Brothers
until one day in 1932 when, according to Deek Watson in his book The Story
of the ‘Ink Spots, ’ the group happened upon the idea of the “Ink Spots.”
Watson told of how he was inspired by a splash of ink from a fountain pen and
how he had to overcome the protests of his fellow members. He remembered Jones as saying that he was “always wanting
us to be something colored. ’Black Dots, ’ ‘Ink Spots’—next thing you know
he’ll be wanting to call us the ’Old Black Joe’s’.” But the members agreed
to try the new name, and its adoption coincided with better fortunes for the
struggling quartet.”…
-snip- The words in italics refer to the group name "The Ink Spots".
Here's a short answer to the question about why that Jazz group was named "The Ink Spots": That group’s name referred to the fact that the group’s members were African American
(i.e. Their skin color was dark like the color of
ink).
I think that the group (or specifically Hoppy Jones) wanted the group to have a name that would distinguish them from White singing groups and/or specifically refer to their group as an African American group. That said, the statement quoted above implies that the names "Black Dots", "Ink Spots", and "Old Black Joe's" were perceived by members of the group as being somewhat insulting, and particularly that last possible name because of the negative connotations of the minstrel song "Old Black Joe" and the other group members may have thought.
Boston bean (soy beans) Green bean (cabbage and greens) I'm not keen about a bean Unless it is a chili chili bean (boy!)
I love coffee, I love tea I love the java jive and it loves me Coffee and tea and the java and me A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup (boy!)
I love java, sweet and hot Whoops mr. moto, I'm a coffee pot Shoot the pot and I'll pour me a shot A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup
Oh slip me a slug from the wonderful mug And I'll cut a rug just snug in a jug A sliced up onion and a raw one Draw one - Waiter, waiter, percolator
I love coffee, I love tea I love the java jive and it loves me Coffee and tea and the java and me A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup
Music in this video
Song: Java Jive (Single Version)
Artist: The Ink Spots
Writers: Milton Drake, Ben Oakland
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a sound file of The Ink Spot's 1940 recording of the song "Java Jive".
This post also provides information about The Ink Spots along with some speculative comments about the meanings of certain words in the song "Java Jive".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to The Ink Spots (the original group) for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
**** INFORMATION ABOUT "THE INK SPOTS" (Jazz group) From https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ink-spots-1932-1953/#:~:text=The%20Ink%20Spots%2C%20a%20musical,and%20the% "The Ink Spots, a musical quartet, originally included
members Orville “Hoppy” Jones, Ivory “Deek” Watson, Jerry Daniels, and Charlie
Fuqua. Some accounts claim Slim Greene also was a founding member. Influenced
by the Mills Brothers, all four members sang together under the name “King,
Jack, and the Jesters” in 1932. In late
1933, the group renamed itself the Ink Spots.
The Ink Spots toured Britain in 1934 and their overseas
success earned them a recording contract with Victor Records. In 1935, they
recorded their first four songs, including “Swinging on the Strings.”
In 1936, Daniels left the group and Bill Kenny replaced him.
Around this time, the Ink Spots signed with Decca and began developing its
distinct sound. The group’s vocal arrangements and use of guitar riff song
introductions would influence future generations of doo-wop, rhythm and blues,
and rock and roll musicians, including Elvis Presley and the Beatles. With the
release of “If I Didn’t Care” (1939), the Ink Spots became one of the most
popular quartets in the United States.
The group’s success continued throughout the 1940s with hits such as “We
Three” (1940), “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” (1941), “I’m Making
Believe” (1944), “The Gypsy” (1946), and “To Each His Own” (1946). The group also appeared in the films The
Great American Radio Broadcast (1941) and Pardon My Sarong (1942). Throughout World War II, the Ink Spots
performed for the troops. In 1944, they
had another hit with “Cow-Cow Boogie,” which they recorded with Ella
Fitzgerald.
By 1950, the Ink Spots’ popularity began to decline, but
they remained in demand on the college circuit. As original members left the
quartet, various singers performed with the group, including Bernie Mackey,
Cliff Givens, Billy Bowen, Huey Long, Herb Kenny, Adriel McDonald, Teddy
Williams, Ernie Brown, and Jimmy Kenny.
Starting in the 1940s, the quartet sued imitation groups
using the Ink Spots name, but its legal problems increased when Fuqua and Kenny
each formed groups called the Ink Spots in 1952. The Decca Ink Spots officially played their
last concert in 1953.
Since the original Ink Spots disbanded, dozens of Ink Spots
imitators have formed and recorded. Most
of these groups have no connection to the Decca Ink Spots. “If I Didn’t Care” was inducted into the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1987. The Ink Spots also were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1989) and Apollo Theatre Hall of Fame (1993)."
**** WHAT CERTAIN WORDS IN THE SONG "JAVA JIVE" MEAN "Java" is a slang reference for "coffee". Here's one website that explains how this slang term originated:
The reason for this name is obvious when we take a close
look at the history of the plant.
You see, back in the days coffee only grew wild in Ethiopia.
Finding out about the plant’s potency, Arabians took it with them to Yemen.
Here it was grown commercially with great success. In fact, the business around
coffee was so profitable that it was punished by death to take the plant
outside the country.
Coffee flourished on islands such as Sumatra, Sulawesi, and
– you guessed it – Java.
[Information about the island of Java is inserted here.]
Since Java was the main island where the capital Batavia
(today called Jakarta) was located, the majority of coffee was exported from
here. Rapidly, Indonesia became the world’s largest exporter of coffee. So most
of the bags arriving in Europe said ‘Java,’ and this is how the nickname came
to be."
** Here's my speculation about the word "jive" in the song title "Java Jive": "Jive" refers to the usually rhyming hip talk (slang talk) that is found throughout that song. That definition of "jive" comes from the hip talk that jazz musicians used (in the 1930s and 1940s and perhaps even earlier).
** Here's an excerpt from an article about the etymology of the word "jive": https://www.thoughtco.com/gibe-jibe-and-jive-1689398 "Jive first appears in written form in the 1920s, but that doesn't mean it wasn't in use much earlier. The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests that it might have an African origin, coming from a West African Wolof word "jev" or "jeu" that means to talk about someone absent in a disparaging manner."...
[Numbers added for referencing purposes only. These numbers
don’t respond to the responses that are found on that website.]
1. Guest, Jun '11 "Mr Moto was a fictional Japanese secret agent.
“I cut a rug” means “I dance”.
“Snug as a bug in a rug” means to be wrapped up ready for
sleep. The substitution of “jug” has no meaning to me.
No more ideas though - suspect the lyrics are just nonsense
in order to scan and rhyme."
** 2. CookingWithGas, Jun '11 "To “draw one” in this context probably means to fill a
coffee cup from an urn. You normally don’t hear people using this for coffee,
but rather for beer filled from a tap.
A lot of these words are just thrown in there to fill space
and rhyme. Lots of songs in that era had nonsense lyrics,…."
** 3. ericinwisconsin, Jul '11 "Yep, slice of onion on a buger, cooked rare.
More interesting to me is the line:
whoops, Mr. Moto, I’m a coffee pot
Who is Mr. Moto? If it’s the character played in movies by
Peter Lorre, why? What does Mr. Moto have to do with coffee? This has bugged me
for years and no one has been about to provide me with a satisfactory
explanation."
**
4. filling_pages, Jul '11 "Google led me to a Wordwizard message board post from 2004,
which suggests this connection:
"Peter Lorre, who starred in the role of Mr. Moto also played
a evil henchmen in Arsenic & Old Lace(1944). Cary Grant plays the main
character of Mortimer, who pays a visit to his two sweet aunts who raised him.
Uncle Ted, who also resides at the residence suffers under the delusion that he
is Teddy Roosevelt. He had the habit of blowing a bugle and running up the
stairs(San Juan Hill) with the cry of “Charge!” He discovers that his dear old
aunts have taken up the charitable mission of euthanizing lonely old men by
taking them in as boarders, and offering them elderberry wine laced with
poison; so that their last moments on earth would be pleasant ones. 12 souls
are interred in the basement with the help of Uncle Ted who assumes that they
are Panama Canal workers who died from malaria. To make the situation worse,
Mortimer’s sadistic step-brother returns home with sidekick Dr. Einstein(Peter
Lorre), and the corpse of his latest victim for the purpose of using the place
for a temporary hideout and disposal. Mortimer arrives at the conclusion that
he may have inheirited his family’s insanity. The cab driver arrives on the
scene and witnesses the spectacle. Mortimer’s aunts reveal to him, to his
relief, that he is not related and that his dying mother requested that they
raise him. They also tell him that his father was a sea cook. Mortimer in the
final scene triumphantly shouts out “I am not a Brewster. I am the son of a sea
cook!! Charge!!!” The taxi driver sarcastically quips “I am not a taxi
driver. I am a coffee pot.””…. -snip- I added italics to highlight this line.
** 5. TomTheBari, Nov '11 “Egg Coffee” is coffee made with an egg (shell and all). You
put the ground coffee in a filter and break a raw egg over it (a “raw one”). Egg
shell is crushed. It is said to reduce the acidity of the coffee.
Apparently, this custom was imported from Scandinavia, and
is reportedly still practiced by some Lutheran congregations in the American
Midwest (e.g. Minnesota).”…"
This post showcases a 1952 soundie (short film) of The Ink Spots' hit song "If I Didn't Care". Information about the Ink Spots is included in this post along with information about the song "If I Didn't Care", that song's lyrics, and selected comments from the discussion thread of that YouTube "video".
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to Jack Lawrence, the composer of this song and thanks to The Ink Spots for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of this soundie on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INK SPOTS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ink_Spots
"The Ink Spots were an African-American vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style led to the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. 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, Deek Watson, Charlie Fuqua and Hoppy Jones) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 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 100 vocal groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" without any right to the name, and without any original members of the group. These groups often have claimed to be "2nd generation" or "3rd generation" Ink Spots....
In 1936, Jerry Daniels was replaced by a young singer from Baltimore named Bill Kenny. Kenny signed with the Ink Spots after winning 1st place in an amateur contest at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. Three years later Kenny would be credited for bringing the group to global success with his unusual high tenor ballad singing.[citation needed]
In 1938, after being in the group for two years, Bill 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 (Bill Kenny or Deek Watson) to sing the lead for one chorus followed by a chorus performed by Bass singer Hoppy Jones where he would recite the lyrics rather than sing them. After a chorus of the "talking bass" the lead tenor would carry out 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 entitled "Tune In on My Heart" features Bill Kenny taking the lead and Hoppy Jones performing the talking bass.[5]"...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "IF I DIDN'T CARE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Didn%27t_Care
"If I Didn't Care" is a song written by Jack Lawrence that was originally sung and recorded by The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny in 1939. The Ink Spots recording became the 6th best selling single of all time with over 19 million copies sold making it one of the fewer than forty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide....
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: The Ink Spots Singing "If I Didn't Care"
Schrooms73, Uploaded on Jul 7, 2008
Here are the Lyrics:
If I didn't care more than words can say
If I didn't care would I feel this way?
If this isn't love then why do I thrill?
And what makes my head go 'round and 'round
While my heart stands still?
If I didn't care would it be the same?
Would my ev'ry prayer begin and end with just your name?
And would I be sure that this is love beyond compare?
Would all this be true if I didn't care for you?
MONOLOGUE: If I didn't care honey child, mo' than words can say. If I didn't
care baby, would I feel this way? Darlin' if this isn't love, then why do I thrill so
much? What is it that makes my head go 'round and 'round while my heart just stands
still so much ?
If I didn't care would it be the same?
Would my ev'ry prayer begin and end with just your name?
And would I be sure that this is love beyond compare?
Would all this be true if I didn't care for you?
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SOUNDIE'S DISCUSSION THREAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvwfLe6sLis
These selected comments focus on The Ink Spots musical groups, the the song "If I Didn't Care", the 1952 soundie, and the historical conditions for Black musical recording groups such as The Ink Spots.
A number of commenters in that discussion thread wrote that they became acquainted with The Ink Spots' "If I Didn't Care" from its inclusion in video games Bioshock and Fallout, the movies "Shawshank Redemption" and "Autobiography Of Malcolm X", the television show "Sanford And Son", and more. While I found those comments interesting, I've chosen not to include any of those comments in this post, unless there is other content that fits the focus of these excerpts.
These comments are given in relative order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies and except for comments regarding the same subject. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
2011
1. jaydiddley
"great song, great group. i love how almost every Ink Spots song starts with the same intro."
**
2. Thehamez, 2013
"Not knocking them. Just saying most of their songs start with the exact same riff and have the same melody and just different words."
**
3. Montana Lease, 2013
in reply to Thehamez
"@Thehamez it was real original music. people in the 1930's were amazed by it even if it was as simple as changing the lyrics. personally i think its amazing still and better than anything being made today. but some things today are still a stop and look subject. just not as good as these guys. but your right, they do have the same tune to them lol. but they made it work every time."
**
4. Nick Fisher, 2015
"Did these guys use the same opening for every song?"
**
5. Him Andathousandjews, 2015
"Yeah, it was their signature riff."
**
6. mattjh192
"The Ink spots were formed approx 1935 and there is still an imitation group going today, Bill Kenny died in 1978, the spots have certainly grown on me, wasnt to keen to begin with!"
**
7. Sheldon Lawrence
"what film is thisi from?"
**
8. WytZox1
in reply to Sheldon Lawrence
"@sheldonlt - Those Soundies were the original music videos long before MTV, shown in movie theaters as short subjects.☺"
**
9. Schrooms73
in reply to Sheldon Lawrence
"@sheldonlt Soundies were an early version of the music video: three-minute musical films, produced in New York, Chicago, and Hollywood between 1940 and 1946, often including short dance sequences. (The completed Soundies were generally released within a few months of their filming; the last group was released in March, 1947.) The films were displayed on the Panoram, a coin-operated film jukebox or machine music, in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, factory lounges, and amusement centers."
**
10. Austin Casey, [2012], in reply to a comment about lip synching in the soundie]
"Yes indeed. Infact thats pretty much all they did back then. Vitaphone was live but was mostly used in the 20s. These "Soundies" from 40s-50s were lip synced. Same with these Mills Bros vids in the related videos section. They didn't quite have the sophistication back then to make both a great video and live recording with a full orchestra. There would have been a bunch of mics and cords all over the place. If you go to my channel you can see more Ink Spots videos both live and lip synced"
**
12. TheOriginalJarvees, 2012
"This would have been in a drive in or cinema (movie theatre)
between news reels and the movies themselves.
However I couldn't tell you where this clip came from. Either way, glad it's here.
Video games are good for something. Fallout 3 led me to the Spots honestly"
**
13. Kevin Price, 2013
"I love the Ink Spots and the Mills Brothers, was this from a movie?"
**
14. Austin Casey, 2013
in reply to Kevin Price
"It's from a series of "Soundies" as they called music videos back in the day. The other ones Bill Kenny & The Ink Spots filmed on the same day were : It Is No Secret, The Gypsy, You May Be The Sweetheart Of Somebody Else and I'm Heading Back To Paradise. They lip synced all of these... but they pulled it off damn well. I wish there was more live footage of them available."
**
15. bobbilse, 2012
"A bit of trivia: There is actually only one original Ink Spot in this video, Charlie Fuqua (on the right), though their career really took off when lead vocalist Bill Kenny replaced Charlie Daniels. The chubby fellow, Billy "Butterball" Bowen replaced Ivory "Deek" Watson, and the narrator/bass was Adriel McDonald, the 4th one in that spot. The original was Orville "Hoppy" Jones. Kenny was the last living member from the original hit recording of this, dying in '78 (Daniels died in '95)."
**
16. alex eason
"The Inkspots made many appearances in Vancouver at the Cave Supper Club back in the 1950's....Bill Kenny made Vancouver his home and died here in 1978....This song "if I didn't Care" only made it to number 2 on the charts but sold a heck of a lot of records.... Even their "I don't want to set the world on Fire" only made it number 4 on the charts...But I love them both.... Beautiful"
**
17. Ian Knau
"Not to sound racist, but wow that must have been risky having two black guys staring at a white girls behind back in the 40s 50s like that. O.O"
**
18. ohsnapitsme59
in reply to Ian Knau
"@halfdude Doesn't sound racist because you are correct in that sentiment. That would never happen back then. BUT those women are not white. They are light-skinned black women."
**
19. SyberkaPL [This comment refers to a glitch in this copy of the soundie]
"2:13
A scratch when Charlie Fuqua puts this something. What a coincidence (i know that this kind of soundie is originally silent then added audio to it)."
**
20. Ginger Vela
"Beautifully sung. A forerunner of our 50's doo wop with mr. Kenny's great falsetto. LMAO when the guy came back with the puppy instead of the girl. That was cute. These "soundies" seem to just now be making a comeback, and have been a well-kept secret for a long time. The Inkspots were great! Thanks for posting! "
**
14. L Hiram Larry Adams
in reply to L Hiram Larry Adams
"Might ad he is not using a falcetto as many tenors had to do including me as my range was much less especially when singing an alto part or second soporano."
**
2013
15. Wolf King
"can anybody tell me the genre of this type of music, i really like it"
**
16. Austin Casey
in reply to Wolf King
"Vocal Group Harmony, R&B, Easy Listening, 1940's Pop. Back in the 40's The Ink Spots were considered a Pop group."
**
17. L Hiram Larry Adams
"High C above High
You will note Bill does not side up and down to hit the notes.He is pure perfection that many of us singers would just love to be able to do and without staining to hit the notes and that my friends take strong breath control aka a strong diaphragm Next time you hear someone to our National Anthem see if they sing it as it was written without making their own improves and no grace notes where none was written,sung as written note for note e.
Larry Adams
Phoenix,AZ"
**
18. Liam Oreilly
"I agree he's a superb Tenor....Sorry to disagree with Larry, but Bill Kenny is using a form of falsetto. In the middle 8 when the Bassist is talking the lyrics, he uses falsetto, then at 3:20 he slips between the two. 3:30 and the last note are all falsetto, not that that is in anyway being disrespectful, he uses a perfect technique...and its fantastic!"
**
19. Austin Casey
in reply to Liam Oreilly
"I'm not sure. I've also read that he never sang in a falsetto and that the high notes were his natural voice. Infact it says that on the back of his 1966 album "Remember Me". But yeah like you said, that's not important. Bill Kenny was the greatest singer that ever lived... In my opinion. "
**
20. Austin Casey
in reply to brandon9271 [who asked is this the same version of the song that is used in the video games]
"This version is from 1952 & the version in Bioshock, Fallout etc is the original version from 1939. Bill Kenny is still the lead singer on both though."
**
21. bobbilse
"The personnel for this video is as follows: Bill Kenny, the lead voice, who sang the original hit version of this. The only other original Ink Spot is the small, darker fellow, Charlie Fuqua. The chubby fellow is Billy "Butterball" Bowen, who replaced Deek Watson in '44. The bass/narrator is Adriel McDonald, the 4th bass singer in the group's history (original was Hoppy Jones)."
Jimmy Holmes was a fabulous tenor, and was the lead voice in Fuqua's own Ink Spots group in the '50s. Great singer!
**
22. bobbilse
in reply to Lolzub Troll
"Ivory "Deek" Watson is not in this video. This video was made in the early '50s, long after Watson had been forced out by Bill Kenny in 1944. Adriel McDonald, who joined in '51, replacing Kenny's twin brother, Herb, as bass/narrator. He is the "rapper" here."
**
23. Mattdirk59
"Just got done listening to the Platters rendition of this. It's very good....BUT! This classic belongs to the Ink Spots hands down!! Loved it!"
**
24. AviatikD1
"When the Ink Spots used to come to Seattle in the late 40s/early 50s, my grandmother used to put them up at her house on Beacon HIll at 1717 Angeline St. S. This was during the still segregated times, but my grandmother loved their music and never was one to care what the neighbors thought.."
**
2014
25. James Wisdom
"Think - They weren't allowed to eat at or sleep at the places they just performed for, and that's within a century. Be skeptical of what society tells you is "the way it will always be."
**
26. mrbgross
"Every time I think of what black artists went through when they were discriminated on it makes me ashamed of my ancestors! These fine gentlemen struggled through all of that and became well known throughout the years. Here's hoping that we don't allow those years to return."
**
27. B Schwartz
"All four of the INK SPOTS, including lead singer Bill Kenney, were only paid $37.50 for the recording. When the record sold 200,000 copies, Decca Records ripped up the original contract and paid the group an additional $3,750. The recording went on to sell more than 19 million copies, but there is no record that the singers ever received any more than their original bonus."
**
28. Rena Mckinney
..."before then he [Bill Kenny] worked with Redd Foxx at the Cotton club. My dad was a singing waiter, and Redd Foxx was a stand up comedian making 26 dollars a week. This was in the 40's and 50's or so"
-snip-
Note: Redd Foxx portrayed the character Fred G. Sanford in the American television show "Sanford And Son". "If I Didn't Care" was Sanford's favorite song and portions of that song were sung in some episodes of that Black American comedy/drama.
**
29. Pamela Waiolena, 2015
"I've always loved the Ink Spots but I hope those who visit their music are aware of how racist our music industry was when they were here. After all, just their name reflects how we put racial identity above their gift of song!!"
**
30. Juju Man
"I don't think this is the first version. Type in Ink Spots and watch the other video with the shorter heavy set lead singer."
-snip-
Here's what I think is the link to the video that JuJu Man referred to in his comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAinKGJZ8YE
**
32. Austin Casey
Reply
"That other video is not the original... that was recorded in 1955 and that video is of a spin off Ink Spots group called Charlie Fuqua's New Ink Spots."
**
33. Juju Man
Reply
"Thank you for your info. They are such a smooth group and not much is out there about them in film. My Mom used to see the original Ink Spots with my grandfather, and I thought the other group was the original..."
**
34. Austin Casey
Reply
"+Juju Man Yeah, a lot of people confuse Fuqua's group with the original Ink Spots bcause they were about as good. You're right about there not being much info easily available. Not only that but too much of the info about them online is false. They recorded this in 1951. Also filmed the same day were "It Is No Secret", "I'm Heading Back To Paradise", "The Gypsy" and "You May Be The Sweetheart Of Somebody Else". They lip synced them all but it's still cool to see them on video."
**
35. Austin Casey
Reply
"+Wuhoo The lead Singer in this video of the ORIGINAL Ink Spots is Bill Kenny. He's the same guy who sang I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire, We Three, Maybe, Whispering Grass etc. The man singing lead in the other video with Charlie Fuqua's Ink Spots is Jimmy Holmes."
**
36. cesarmanuel51
Reply
"+Austin Casey Wait, so Charlie Fuqua's Ink Spot was also the one who did "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire"?"
**
37. Austin Casey
Reply
"No. Charlie Fuquas Ink Spots never recorded that tune. They did however cover many of the original Ink Spots hits. If you search Charlie Fuquas Ink Spots here and listen to their recordings, you can sort of compare them to the original Ink Spots recordings with Bill Kenny and you can hear the difference. Since Fuquas Ink Spots came about when the original Ink Spots broke up in the mid 50's, Fuquas Ink Spots recordings are all in Hi-Fi so they usually sound more clear or "newer" than the original Ink Spots recordings of the 30's and 40's which sometimes sound "older".
**
38. frycook48
"We need more groups like this these days, the beautiful harmonies of these 4 voices is unlike anything I've ever heard."
**
39. TheLeondo1
"Any time a lyric is spoken, i.e. Elvis, "Are You Lonesome Tonight", it's actually an homage to the Ink Spots. The speaking of lyrics that were traditionally sung was academically done prior, but it was the Ink Spots that made it what it became, for all of music history."
**
40. Dissoluto Punito
"A classic. Thanks to Jack Lawrence for writing this masterpiece."
**
2015
41. Will Robinson
"Is that Bill Kenny???? Wasn't he in another group?"
**
42. Austin Casey
"+Will Robinson That is indeed Bill Kenny singing lead. He joined the group in 1936 and carried them until 1954 when he disbanded the group to go solo. Each guy in this video went on to form his own vocal group using the name "Ink Spots". The members here are @ 00:12 Left to Right are: Bill Kenny, Butterball Bowen, Adriel McDonald (their former valet!) and Charlie Fuqua."
**
43. OFFRJW
"Bill Kenny, lead singer had a fantastic range to his voice. Mellow and crisp with impecable diction. His voice is unique and easy to identify. Love the group."
**
44. OFFRJW
"Forgot to mention that the Mills Brothers were a group of similar genre. If you were into the Ink Spots, you probably were into the Mills Brothers"
