Two expanded digital releases by the early 20th century vocal pop group The Ink Spots have recently arrived on streaming. Many of the songs that have been added to 1955’s Street of Dreams and 1956’s Time Out For Tears have rarely been this widely available since their initial release.
The Ink Spots were among the first Black groups to cross racial barriers. The group gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s and were known for their distinctive harmonies and musical stylising thats pre-dated R&B, rock and roll, doo-wop. Throughout the 1940s, the Ink Spots were a frequent presence on the top 10 of the US Pop Charts. The group’s first Billboard No. 1 hit came in 1944, when they recorded “I’m Making Believe” with Ella Fitzgerald.
In 1989, the Ink Spots (Bill Kenny, Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, Jerry Daniels, and Orville Jones) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1999 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
The Ink Spots’ music has been used extensively throughout the Fallout franchise, including in the Amazon series. In April 2024, the group’s 1941 song “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart due to its placement in the show (it reached No. 4 on Billboard‘s Best Selling Retail Records chart the year of its original release). The song has featured on the soundtrack of the games Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76, as well as in promotional materials.
Other songs by The Ink Spots used in the television show include “We’ll Meet Again,” “Maybe,” “We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me),” “It’s All Over But the Crying,” and “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall,” a duet with Fitzgerald. Their songs have also recently received placements in Alien: Earth and South Park.
Listen to the Expanded Edition of The Ink Spots’ Street of Dreams here.
Listen to the Expanded Edition of The Ink Spots’ Time Out For Tears here.
