(1934-1954)

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.

Memories of You
The Ink Spots Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Waking skies
At Sunrise,
Ev'ry sunset too,
Seems to be
Bringing me
Memories of you.

Here and there,

Ev'rywhere,
Scenes that we once knew,
And they all
Just recall
Memories of you.

How I wish I could forget
Those happy yesteryears
That have left a rosary of tears.

Your face beams
In my dreams,
Spite of all I do!
Ev'rything
Seems to bring
Memories of you.

How I wish I could forget
Those happy yesteryears
That have left a rosary of tears.

Your face beams
In my dreams,
Spite of all I do!
Ev'rything
Seems to bring

Memories,
All those memories of you.

Overall Meaning

The Ink Spots' song, "Memories of You," is a nostalgic ballad that speaks of the pain of memory. The song describes the singer's experience of waking up to beautiful skies and sunsets only to have those beautiful moments become triggers for memories of a lost love. The memories of their time together take up residence in every corner of the singer's mind and heart, rendering them inescapable.

The second verse highlights the way that the world is now a space where every little detail might bring back memories of this lost love. Whether it's a particular street corner or a certain smell that takes the singer back to a moment that they shared with their lover, everything seems to serve as a reminder of what used to be. The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer wishes they could forget these memories of happier times that now only serve to bring them pain. However, the memories persist and even find their way into the singer's dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

Waking skies
The skies as they appear when one wakes up

At Sunrise,
The time in the morning when the sun appears above the horizon

Ev'ry sunset too,
Also, the end of the day when the sun disappears below the horizon

Seems to be
Appears to me, it feels like

Bringing me
Causing me to recall, reminding me of

Memories of you.
Thoughts and reminiscences of a person or experience that is you

Here and there,
In a variety of locations, scattered throughout

Ev'rywhere,
In all places, every corner I turn

Scenes that we once knew,
Places where you and I used to go to and see

And they all
Each and every one of them

Just recall
Evoke the remembrance of

Memories of you.
Thoughts and reminiscences of a person or experience that is you

How I wish I could forget
Expressing a desire to not remember

Those happy yesteryears
The bygone days of happiness and contentment

That have left a rosary of tears.
Which have caused an extended period of sorrow and mourning

Your face beams
Your countenance shines brightly

In my dreams,
Appear in my visions while I sleep

Spite of all I do!
Despite all the effort I make

Ev'rything
Each and everything

Seems to bring
Appears to cause me to recall

Memories of you.
Thoughts and reminiscences of a person or experience that is you

How I wish I could forget
Expressing a desire to not remember

Those happy yesteryears
The bygone days of happiness and contentment

That have left a rosary of tears.
Which have caused an extended period of sorrow and mourning

Your face beams
Your countenance shines brightly

In my dreams,
Appear in my visions while I sleep

Spite of all I do!
Despite all the effort I make

Ev'rything
Each and everything

Seems to bring
Appears to cause me to recall

Memories,
Thoughts and reminiscences

All those memories of you.
Recollections of a person or experience that is you

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jim Yester

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

FB04

32w

I'm just gonna post the lyrics here.

Waking skies at sunrise
Every sunset too
Seems to be bringing me
Memories of you
Here and there
Everywhere
Scenes that we once knew
And they all just recall
Memories of you
How I wish I could forget those
Happy yesteryears
That have left a rosary of tears
Your face beams in my dreams
Spite of all I do
And they all just recall
Memories of you

How I wish I could forget those
Happy yesteryears
That have left a rosary of tears
Your face beams in my dreams
Spite of all I do
And they all just recall
Memories of you

All comments from YouTube:

Jepsie Bright

1y↑3

The inkspots are the fathers of smooth harmonies!😎

Raphael Bernard

4y↑7

I saw a comment that went that Charlie Faqua was limited as was the piano player hence their use of the same rife in most of their music. Nothing can be further from the truth, they were accomplished musicians who found something that worked and if you listen were able to use embellishments and innovative runs that make YouTube audiences gush with admiration and superlatives.