Trailblazers in Black History: The Ink Spots

From the late 1930's to the early 1950's the original Ink Spots were one of the most popular and influential singing groups of the time. The original group, comprising Ivory "Deek" Watson, Jerry Daniels, Charles Fuqua & Orville "Hoppy" Jones, started out singing fast "jump" tunes beginning in 1934 and their early recordings (RCA Victor - 1935) and (Decca 1936-1938) reflected this style. The group became famous after the arrival of Bill Kenny in early 1936, and the group's addition of a ballad style featuring Bill Kenny's high tenor and Hoppy's "talking" chorus. While several sources suggest this style originated with their most famous recording, "If I Didn't Care" in January of 1939, a partial NBC radio broadcast of February 15, 1938 proves that all of the elements that made this group so successful were included in performances at least one year earlier. 

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Source: The Original Ink Spots