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.
Stop Pretending
The Ink Spots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you'd walk a mile
Just to see me smile
Stop pretending, stop pretending
That your future lies
In my dark brown eyes
And a kept a knocking at your door
You turned wild but listen child
It's never gonna happen no more
Stop pretending, stop pretending
That you care for me
Cause I'm hep you see
Oh stop pretending that you care for me
Stop pretending and let me be
Oh babe
Stop pretending you'd walk a mile
Stop pretending honey child
Oh babe, oh babe, oh babe, oh babe yah yah
Song that took your life
With a smile and a kept a knocking at your door
You turn wild honey child
Never gonna happen no more
So stop pretending stop pretending
That you care for me
Cause I'm hep you see
The Ink Spots's song Stop Pretending is a heartfelt plea from the band to someone who has been pretending to care for them. The opening lines of the song, "Stop pretending, stop pretending, that you'd walk a mile just to see me smile," appeal to the listener to be honest about their true intentions, and to stop pretending to be interested in the band's well-being.
The Ink Spots's lead vocalist, Bill Kenny, sings a heartbreaking melody over a simple chord progression, as he implores the listener to stop pretending that their future lies in his dark brown eyes. The song's chorus urges the listener to stop pretending to care for the band, because they are "hep", or wise to their true intentions.
The lyrics of Stop Pretending highlight the themes of honesty and authenticity, urging the listener to be genuine in their interactions with others. The Ink Spots's smooth and melancholic vocal delivery perfectly captures the emotional depth of this poignant song, which is as relevant today as it was when it was first recorded in 1943.
Line by Line Meaning
Stop pretending, stop pretending,
Admit that you have been acting fake and putting on a facade in our relationship.
That you'd walk a mile
You are not truly committed to our relationship and would not go out of your way for me.
Just to see me smile
You do not value my happiness and are not invested in making me happy.
That your future lies
You are pretending that our relationship is going somewhere and that you have a future with me but in reality, you do not.
In my dark brown eyes
You are misleading yourself into thinking that our relationship is serious and permanent.
It's the song that took your life with a smile
Our relationship may have started off as enjoyable and fun but it ultimately caused you problems and heartache.
And a kept a knocking at your door
Despite the problems our relationship caused, it kept coming back and causing more pain and complications.
You turned wild but listen child
You may have acted impulsively and out-of-character due to our relationship but now it is time to face reality.
It's never gonna happen no more
Our relationship is over and will not be rekindled.
That you care for me
You are pretending to have romantic feelings for me when in reality, you do not.
Cause I'm hep you see
I am aware of the falsehood in our relationship and I am not fooled by your pretending.
Oh stop pretending that you care for me
I am calling you out for being fake and insincere in our relationship.
Stop pretending and let me be
It is time for you to stop pretending and move on from our relationship.
Oh babe, oh babe, oh babe, oh babe yah yah
The repetition of 'babe' and 'yah yah' shows the singer's frustration and dismissal of the other person's actions.
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.