45s.com -- Recording Artist Information: The Ink Spots

Date Formed
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Music	Pop group
Charted Pop/Rock Hits
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Notable Information
Original Members
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Other Web Sites	Lyrics World: The Ink Spots Alpine Entertainment:The Ink Spots The Ink Spots, The

The Ink Spots were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.  The following information was obtained from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

In the words of soul singer Jerry Butler, a solo artist and founding member of the Impressions, "The Ink Spots were the heavyweight champions of quartet singing." Clyde McPhatter, one-time singer with both the Dominoes and the Drifters, once admitted, "We patterned ourselves after the Ink Spots." One of the first popular black groups, the Ink Spots can be regarded as forerunners of the doo-wop and rhythm & blues movements that followed. In the wake of their innovative harmonies came a slew of black vocal groups, including the Ravens, the Orioles, the Dominoes and the Drifters.

Inspired by big-name jazz bands and old-time vaudeville acts, the Ink Spots got their start in Indianapolis in the 1920s. The members would improvise harmony vocals, often simulating wind instruments with their voices. In 1939, the group switched styles from jazzy swing to intimate balladry. "If I Didn't Care," a million seller, inaugurated a stream of hit ballads in a similar vein, including "My Prayer, " "We Three," "Maybe" and "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano." Most of their big hits were sweet ballads with lead vocals by Bill Kenny (who joined in 1936, the year the Ink Spots signed to Decca).

The group maintained its popularity with both black and white audiences into the early 1950s, becoming one of the first acts to break down racial barriers by performing at previously all-white Southern venues. The Ink Spots' tradition of romantic ballads sung in perfect harmony retains its timeless, old-fashioned appeal to this day.