The Ink Spots were a vocal group in the 1930s and 1940s … Read Full Bio ↴(1934-1954)
The Ink Spots were a vocal group in the 1930s and 1940s that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop. They gained much acceptance in both the white community and black community largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll hall of fame in 1999.
Their songs usually began with a guitar riff, followed by the tenor Bill Kenny, who sang the whole song through. After Kenny finished singing, the bass would either recite the first half, or the bridge of the song, or would speak the words, almost in a free form, that were not part of the song, commonly using the words "Honey Child", or "Honey Babe", expressing his love for his darling in the song. This was followed by Kenny, who finished up singing the last refrain or the last half of the song. On some songs Deek Watson would sing the lead rather than Bill Kenny. This was mostly on the uptempo "Jive" songs.
The Ink Spots formed in the early 1930s in Indianapolis. The founding members were :-
Orville "Hoppy" Jones (b. 17 February 1902, Chicago, Illinois – d. 18 October 1944, New York City) (bass) (Played cello in the manner of a stand up bass)[1]
Ivory "Deek" Watson (b. 18 July 1909, Mounds, Illinois – d. 4 November 1969, Washington, D.C.) (tenor) (Played guitar and trumpet)
Jerry Daniels (b. 14 December 1915 – d. 7 November 1995, Indianapolis, Indiana) (tenor) (Played guitar and ukulele)
Charlie Fuqua (b. 20 October 1910 – d. 21 December 1971, New Haven, Connecticut)
(baritone) (Played guitar)
*** BILL KENNY ***
The voice that made them famous Bill Kenny (Mr. Ink Spot) was born June 12th 1914 in Philadelphia PA, and died Mar 23rd 1978 in New West Minister, British Columbia. When Bill Kenny joined the group in 1936 they were mostly a "Jive" ensemble, performing swinging uptempo songs. It wasn't until The Ink Spots 1939 recording of "If I Didn't Care" that Bill Kenny's voice began being regularly featured on Ballads, which it was until The Ink Spots disbanded in 1954. Hits that feature Bill Kenny include "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire", "We Three", "The Gypsy", "Address Unknown", "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming", "So Sorry", "Bless You", "My Prayer", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie", It Isn't A Dream Anymore", and dozens of others. Bill Kenny has been listed as an influence by such great artists as Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Johnny Mathis, Sonny Till, Clyde McPhatter and many others. Bill Kenny is often noted as the father of Doo Wop for his high tenor singing and his introduction of the popular "Top & Bottom" format used by virtually every Doo Wop group in the 50's and 60's.
Since Bill Kenny broke up The Ink Spots in 1954 there have been well over 500 black vocal Quartets calling themselves The Ink Spots none of which have or had any original members. There are even groups still touring as The Ink Spots today. It is largely accepted that if the group didn't contain Bill Kenny then the group was/ is a fake.
11 Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat
The Ink Spots Lyrics
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Someone's invading my dream;
We were sailing along,
So peaceful and calm,
Suddenly, something went wrong.
Someone's rocking my dreamboat,
Disturbing a beautiful dream;
This mutiny at sea,
Who can it be?
A friendly breeze gave us a start
To a paradise of our own.
All at once a storm blew us apart,
And left me drifting alone.
Someone's rocking my dreamboat,
I'm captain without any crew;
But with love as my guide,
I'll follow the tide,
I'll keep sailing till I find you.
Someone's rocking my dreamboat,
Someone's invading my dream;
We were sailing along,
So peaceful and calm,
Suddenly, something went wrong.
Someone's rocking my dreamboat,
Disturbing a beautiful dream;
It's a mystery to me,
This mutiny at sea,
Who can it be? (Who can it be?)
A friendly breeze gave us a start
To a paradise of our own.
All at once a storm blew us apart,
And left me drifting alone.
Someone's rocking my dreamboat,
I'm captain without any crew;
But with love as my guide,
I'll follow the tide,
I'll keep sailing till I find you.
The Ink Spots' song "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" is a song that conveys a sense of longing for a lost love. The lyrics describe a peaceful and calm sailing journey with a friend or lover until something goes wrong and they are separated. The singer is left alone as the dreamboat is being rocked by an unknown force, and the mystery of the mutiny at sea is causing confusion and uncertainty. The singer's only goal is to keep sailing until they find their lost love.
The song is a metaphorical representation of a relationship that has gone astray, where the singer is lost and without any guidance or crew. However, they still have hope and believe that love will guide them in finding their way back to their loved one. The use of nautical imagery and sailing metaphors provide a unique perspective on the theme of love and loss.
Overall, "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" by The Ink Spots is a melancholy and reflective song about the uncertainty of love and how we must keep sailing through life to find it. The use of metaphors and imagery makes the song both relatable and timeless.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone's rocking my dreamboat,
The experience that the singer had has been disrupted by an unknown person.
Someone's invading my dream;
The intrusion of an unknown person has caused the dream to be no longer peaceful.
We were sailing along,
Everything was going smoothly before the mutiny took place.
So peaceful and calm,
The scene was tranquil and restful before the unexpected event happened.
Suddenly, something went wrong.
An abrupt change took place, causing the situation to become unpleasant.
It's a mystery to me,
The singer is perplexed by the occurrence and finds it difficult to comprehend.
This mutiny at sea,
The situation of the unexpected change is compared to a mutiny at sea.
Who can it be?
The singer is questioning the identity of the unknown person responsible.
A friendly breeze gave us a start
The beginning of the dream was gentle and lovely, much like a favorable breeze.
To a paradise of our own.
The dream was a charming and idyllic place that the singer had created within their mind.
All at once a storm blew us apart,
Suddenly, a tempestuous event occurred that disrupted the dream.
And left me drifting alone.
The singer was left to face the remainder of the dream on their own, separated from the other characters.
I'm captain without any crew;
The singer is now in charge of the dream, without any other individuals to assist them.
But with love as my guide,
The singer is using love as their guiding force for navigation during the remainder of the dream.
I'll follow the tide,
The singer will allow their dreams and the forces of the universe to guide them as they progress.
I'll keep sailing till I find you.
The singer will persevere and keep dreaming until they can successfully locate the other characters once again.
Lyrics © OTIS RENE PUBLICATIONS, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EMERSON C. SCOTT, LEON T. RENE, OTIS J RENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind