The Ink Spots
The Ink Spots played a large role in pioneering the Black vocal group-harmony genre, helping to pave the way for the doo wop explosion of the '50s. The quavering high tenor of Bill Kenny presaged hundreds of street-corner leads to come, and the sweet harmonies of Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, and bass Hoppy Jones (who died in 1944) backed him flawlessly.
Kenny's impeccable diction and Jones's deep drawl were both prominent on the Ink Spots' first smash on Decca in 1939, the sentimental "If I Didn't Care." From then through 1951, the group was seldom absent from the pop charts, topping the lists with "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)" (1940), "I'm Making Believe" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" (both in 1944), and "The Gypsy" and "To Each His Own" (both in 1946).
Watson eventually split to form his own group, the Brown Dots, and appeared in numerous low-budget film musicals, while Kenny attempted a solo career, notching a solo hit in 1951 with the uplifting "It Is No Secret." Countless groups masquerading as the Ink Spots have thrived across the nation since the '50s.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
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Greatest Hits
R&B - Released by Stereo Magic Records on 1 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ink Spots' Greatest Hits
Soul - Released by Everest Records on 29 May 1981
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Ink Spots
R&B - Released by Geffen on 5 Oct 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
If I Didn't Care: An Anthology
Pop - Released by Sunset Blvd Records on 22 Apr 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
We Four - The Best of the Ink Spots
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jasmine Records on 7 Apr 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ultimate Collection - 70 Unforgettable Tracks
Jazz - Released by AP Digital on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ink Spots
Pop - Released by Legacy International on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire (Remastered)
Pop - Released by Sunset Blvd Records on 11 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
If I Didn't Care
Jazz - Released by 2008 Classic Records on 9 Nov 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I don’t Want To Set The World On Fire
Blues - Released by Red Cab Records on 17 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stanley Morgan's Ink Spots in London
Pop - Released by Archive of Folk & Jazz Music on 30 Aug 1979
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Rhythm, Harmony & Swing
The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, The Delta Rythm Boys
Jazz - Released by Signature on 1 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Street Of Dreams
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
At Las Vegas (Digitally Remastered) (Live)
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 11 Sep 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Golden Age Of The Ink Spots -The Best Of Everything
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jasmine Records on 15 Sep 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Ink Spots - Sentimental Over You
Soul - Released by Westmill on 25 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ink Spots: If I Didn't Care (Album)
Jazz - Released by Retrospective on 5 Jan 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo