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.
I´ll never smile again
The Ink Spots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
The lyrics to The Ink Spots' "I'll Never Smile Again" are a poignant expression of the pain and heartbreak that can come from losing a romantic love. The singer makes it clear that without their lover, they will never again have reason to smile or laugh. The thought of being with someone else is equally unappealing, as it would only emphasize the reality that their romance has ended, and the tears would inevitably flow. The singer's heart is so consumed with love for their former partner, that they cannot even imagine feeling the same way again for someone else. The final lines of the chorus bring it all home, stating that the singer will never smile again until they are able to smile at their ex-lover once more. The Ink Spots' performance of the song lends a particular gravitas to the already emotional lyrics, making it a classic of the romantic ballad genre.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never smile again
I am so devastated by our breakup that I cannot find joy in anything.
Until I smile at you
The only thing that can make me happy again is reconciling and being with you.
I'll never laugh again
I have lost my ability to find humor in anything due to the immense sorrow I feel from our separation.
What good would it do?
There is no point in pretending to be happy if it does not involve being with you.
For tears would fill my eyes
The thought of not being with you brings me such immense sorrow and pain that it moves me to tears.
My heart would realize
My emotions are so intense that they are not just in my mind, but have a physically noticeable effect on my body.
That our romance is through
I know deep down that our love is over and it is causing me unbearable pain and sadness.
I'll never love again
The love I have for you is so powerful that it feels impossible to ever feel it for anyone else again.
I'm so in love with you
You are the sole object of my affection and I cannot imagine my life or my heart without you.
I'll never thrill again
The excitement and joy of new love is now gone for me, as no one could ever compare to the love I had for you.
To somebody new
It is impossible for me to move on and find love with anyone else, as my heart still belongs to you.
Within my heart
My emotions and feelings are so deeply rooted in my heart that they cannot be separated or forgotten easily.
I know I will never start
I am certain that I will never be able to forget you or move on from my love for you.
To smile again
The only way I can imagine finding happiness again is by rekindling our love and being together once more.
Until I smile at you
I am unable to find true joy or happiness without you, and seeing you again would make everything right in my world.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLENN OSSER, RUTH LOWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ivanghrozni1975
I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
I'll never love again
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
@aravena73
I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
I'll never love again
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
@robg71
Beautiful song. Written by Canadian Ruth Lowe, after her husband died.
@othergeorgea
:((
@sheismymoon829
:,( </3
@carinhatube3727
This is just deep...
@Hollcall
Oh my.................! Inmy thoughts.
@annenunney9907
Fantastic
@theskylion1726
Every day I thank the Fallout series for introducing me to such incredible artists that came way before my time like the ink spots
@francisjo3
The Fallout Restoration Project brought me here - it's a whole new "old" Fallout game!!
@ivanghrozni1975
I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
I'll never love again
I'm so in love with you
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
@bowlingpin3092
I love how every intro of the songs are just variations of eachother