The Ink Spots

The Ink Spots – Originally made up of Ivory “Deek" Watson, Orville "Hoppy" Jones, Charles Fuqua and Jerry Daniels, the Ink Spots was a pioneering vocal group that formed in Indianapolis in 1933. Various forerunners of the group were “The Percolating Puppies,” an Indy street band that included Watson; “Jerry and Charlie,” a vocal duo of Fuqua and Daniels; “The Four Riff Brothers,” which included Watson and Jones; and “King, Jack and Jester,” made up of Watson, Daniels and Fuqua. With the addition of Jones to the last group, the quartet was complete. Early on, they (and their predecessors) often sang live on the radio, especially in Cincinnati. A definite career boost came in 1934 with an engagement backing Tiny Bradshaw at New York’s Apollo Theater. After recording with little commercial success on Victor Records, they charted several records on Decca. “If I Didn’t Care” (1939) is undoubtedly their signature song; however, “The Gypsy” (1946) was their biggest hit, spending 13 weeks as the country’s #1 record. Also of note, the Ink Spots cut some sides with Ella Fitzgerald. Although the quartet underwent various personnel changes, one of the most significant replacements was Bill Kenny, who sang lead on the hit records. (Jerry Daniels was the original lead singer.) In the Mid-1940s, Watson formed another group called the Brown Dots, and, soon thereafter, various members splintered off and led their own groups billed as the Ink Spots. In spite of instability in membership, the group was an R & B sensation (pre doo-wop) and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The last surviving member from the Decca Recordings was Huey Long, who died at age 105 in 2009.