"Beautiful Dreamer" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster (1826--1864). It was published posthumously in March 1864 by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of New York. The first edition declares on the title page that "Beautiful Dreamer" is "the last song ever written by Stephen C. Foster. Composed but a few days prior to his death." Carol Kimball, the author of Song, points out however that the copyright date on the first edition is 1862, and this suggests, she writes, that the song was composed and readied for publication two years before Foster's death. There are at least 20-odd songs, she observes, that all claim to be Foster's last, and it is unknown which is indeed his last. The song is set in a 9/8 rhythm with a broken chord accompaniment. The song tells of a lover serenading a "Beautiful Dreamer", who is oblivious to all worldly cares and may actually be dead. Foster's work features many dead young women including Annie, Laura Lee, and Jeanie. Helen Lightner writes, "This sentimental ballad is folk-like in character with its repetitious but lovely melody and its basic harmonic accompaniment... The quiet and calm of this mood is portrayed by the monotony of the arpeggiated accompaniment, by the repetitiveness of the melodic pattern, and by the strophic form itself." Gene Miller (lead vocals), Russell Williams (2nd Tenor), Ollie Crawford (Baritone, Guitar), and Russell Williams (Bass). The Ink Spots were a vocal group in the 1930s and 1940s that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop. They gained much acceptance in both the white community and black community largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll hall of fame in 1999. Since The Ink Spots disbanded in 1954, there have been well over 100 vocal groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" without any rights to the name or any original members in the group. These groups often have claimed to be "2nd generation" or "3rd generation" Ink Spots. Many such groups are still touring today. The Ink Spots songs usually began with a guitar riff, followed by the tenor Bill Kenny, who sang the whole song through. After Kenny finished singing, the bass would either recite the first half, or the bridge of the song, or would speak the words, almost in a free form, that were not part of the song, commonly using the words "Honey Child", or "Honey Babe", expressing his love for his darling in the song. This was followed by Kenny, who finished up singing the last refrain or the last half of the song. On some songs Deek Watson would sing the lead rather than Bill Kenny. This was mostly on the uptempo "Jive" songs. Deek Watson, who had been forced out of the original Ink Spots in 1944 and briefly sang with Charlie Fuqua's Ink Spots in 1952-1953, started his own Ink Spots group in 1954. He also called his group "The Ink Spots". Deek Watson made numerous recordings with his and various other "Ink Spots" groups in the 1950s and 1960s. Starting in 1954 groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" sprang up all around the United States (case in point "Gene Miller's Sensational Ink Spots"). Some groups contained original members Charlie Fuqua or Deek Watson but most had no ties to the original group whatsoever. Many groups claimed to have the rights to the name while in truth no one did. Still, lawsuits were filed between various groups and there was great confusion as to who actually owned the rights. Some groups avoided lawsuits by naming themselves "The Fabulous Ink Spots", "The 5 Fabulous Ink Spots", "The Famous Ink Spots", "The Amazing Ink Spots" "The Original Ink Spots" and more. From 1954 to the present there have been well over 100 groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots". Legitimate members of the original group included Bill Kenny, Deek Watson, Charlie Fuqua, Hoppy Jones, Bernie Mackey, Huey Long, Cliff Givens, Billy Bowen, Herb Kenny, Adriel McDonald, Jimmy Cannady, Ernie Brown, Henry Braswell, Teddy Williams and Everett Barksdale. Pianists and arrangers included Bob Benson, Asa "Ace" Harris, Bill Doggett, Ray Tunia, and Harold Francis. Some singers have tenuous ties to Deek Watson's or Charlie Fuqua's offshoot groups; many, with no credentials whatsoever, claim to be "original" members. Although out of print, "Beautiful Dreamer" can be found on the album titled "The Ink Spots In Hi-Fi" (Allegro Records-S ALL 844) which was released in the UK in 1967. If you'd like to hear music from the Original Ink Spots and it's members, please refer to Austin Casey's Youtube channel. He is a dedicated fan of the Original Ink Spots and has countless songs by the original group on his Youtube site. Austin was a big help when it came to uploading this song with the correct information. It's dedication like his that should be commended... thank you Austin you are awesome! Please subscribe to his channel http://www.youtube.com/user/kingoliver45

• published: 01 Jun 2013
• views: 2534