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.
Star dust
The Ink Spots Lyrics
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Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we're apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by.
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song
The melody
Haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale
Tells his fairytale
Of paradise, where roses grew
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain.
The Ink Spots' song Star Dust is a nostalgic walk down memory lane. The opening verse sets the scene with the purple dusk of twilight time stealing across the meadows of the heart. The beauty of the evening sky is accentuated by the little stars that climb higher up, an exquisite display of nature that reminds the songwriter of their significant other's absence. They recall the moments with their loved one, wandering down the lane and disappearing into the distance, leaving them with a song that they cannot forget. Love is now the stardust of yesterday, representing the music of the years gone by.
The chorus reveals the songwriter's feelings of loneliness and the solace they find from dreaming of a song. The melody haunts their reverie, bringing them back to a time when they were with their significant other, eluding to the fact that the relationship has ended, and their shared memories have become dreamlike. Although the romance may have been long ago, he takes comfort in the stardust of a song. The final verse takes the listener on a journey through the mythical paradise of the nightingale's fairytale, where roses grew. The songwriter yearns to be reunited with their loved one but knows that it is in vain, and the memory of their love's refrain remains in their heart.
Line by Line Meaning
And now the purple dusk of twilight time
At this very moment, the purple haze of nightfall is enveloping me.
Steals across the meadows of my heart
This moment feels poetic, as the approaching darkness seems to both fill and empty my heart.
High up in the sky the little stars climb
I can see the stars coming out, high above in the sky.
Always reminding me that we're apart
The stars are a constant reminder of the distance between us.
You wander down the lane and far away
I see you walking down the path, away from me, into the distance.
Leaving me a song that will not die
You've left me a memory, a song stuck in my mind that won't leave.
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
Our love is in the past, now only a memory captured in stardust.
The music of the years gone by.
Our love is like the music of the years gone by, always there to remind me.
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
Occasionally, I think about the long nights of wondering and dreaming.
The lonely nights
The nights when I feel most alone.
Dreaming of a song
My dreaming mind is filled with the echoes of a song.
The melody
The tune that accompanies the lyrics of our love.
Haunts my reverie
That melody haunts my daydreams.
And I am once again with you
In my mind, I'm transported back to a time when we were together.
When our love was new
A time when our love was fresh and exciting.
And each kiss an inspiration
Every kiss we shared seemed to inspire and ignite us both.
But that was long ago
That time is not the present; it feels long ago.
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
Now, all I have left of our love is the stardust of memory and song.
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
I can see it clearly: us, standing by the garden wall, beneath a sky full of stars.
You are in my arms
I remember holding you close to me.
The nightingale
The bird whose song drifted to us.
Tells his fairytale
His song tells a tale of love and possibility.
Of paradise, where roses grew
He envisions a lush, rose-filled paradise where love is possible.
Though I dream in vain
I know that my dreams of love with you are in vain.
In my heart it will remain
But those memories will stay with me in my heart.
My stardust melody
The melody that has come to be associated with our love.
The memory of love's refrain.
And the memory of the lyrics that spoke of our love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GENTRY, JOHN HUTCHINSON DEAN, MATTHEW EVERITT, SIMON IAN WHITE, STUART BLACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Austin Casey
Thats Gene Miller doing the talking part. Which is funny because no one on the cover of this album is on this recording at all. The picture shows Charlie Owens Sensational Ink Spots but this is Deek Watson's Ink Spots. Both recorded for Crown as The Ink Spots. Its an okay group but no where near as good as the original Bill Kenny Decca group.
Barry I. Grauman
Originally released in 1962.
RBIKO5
Thanks for the info you experts you
Некто Кто-то
Hello buddy, how do you know what content is in public domain?
C Porter
Man they really did a horrible job with this one. The piano is awful