Leading with a simple, plaintive guitar pattern from Charles Fuqua, there’s no
mistaking the beginning of an Ink Spots song. Once the pioneering vocal group
landed on a successful formula, the quartet stuck to its guns, set the stage for
the doo-wop explosion of the ‘40s and ‘50s, and experienced a resurgence in the
21st century.
Formed in 1934 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Ink Spots made their debut (as “the
4 Ink Spots”) at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater, and began recording in early
1935. Early songs were more in the then-popular jump blues style of Big Joe
Turner and ...