The Ink Spots

The Ink Spots were a popular American vocal group that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm & blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop. They and the Mills Brothers, anothe

The Ink Spots were a popular American vocal group that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm & blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop. They and the Mills Brothers, another black vocal group of the 1940s, gained most acceptance in the white community. They formed in Indianapolis in the early 1930s with members Jerry Daniels (a tenor who was replaced by the most famous member, Bill Kenny, in early 1936), baritone Charlie Fuqua, second tenor Ivory "Deek" Watson, and bass Orville "Hoppy" Jones.

After a series of unsuccessful recordings for Victor Records and Decca Records, they had their first smash hit with "If I Didn't Care", on Decca in 1939. They released such other Decca singles as "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" (1940), "Whispering Grass" (1940), "Do I Worry" (1940), "Java Jive" (1940), "Shout, Brother, Shout" (1942), "Cow-Cow Boogie" (1944 - with Ella Fitzgerald) "I'm Making Believe" (1944 - with Ella Fitzgerald) and "The Gypsy" (1946 - their biggest hit).