St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-12-01
Ink Spots in
Court Row Over
Right to Name
Arthur Garfield Hayes Takes UP
Case of -Four Ink Spots

New York.-The case of the Four
Ink Spots kept in the limelight last
week and will remain in it until
Dec. a when the matter comes to
the New York Supreme Court
where trial will be held to de-
termine who owns the name, 1.-THE
Four Ink Spots"
Moe Gale, famous agent, man.
ager and impresario and builder
of such national attractions as the
late Chick Webb, the first lady OF
swing, Ella Fitzgerald; Lucky
Millinder, Erskine Hawkins, Cootie
Williams, Sister Tharpe, and the
Ink Spots, is backed in his court
action by Ivory (Deke) Watson
goldtooth rhythm singer; and PFC
Charley Fuqua. The latter pair are
the only original members of the
outfit left which started out at In,
dianapolis, Ind, back in 1880 as a
corner get-together group of sing
ers and wound up in the $35, 900 a
year class apiece. AS the "Last
of the Ink Spots" Watson and
Fuqua are 1000 with their mentor
and guiding light over the years
against the efforts of Billy Kenny,
tall, falsetto singing tenor, to
handle the business of the quartet
himself. Kenny is currently 'front.'
ing a group under the name of the
"Ink Spots" at the Cafe Zanzibar
after his break with Moe Gale.
Watson quit the group several
months ago after a reported fight
with Kenny and Fuqua is in the
army. Jerry Daniels, one of the
original members, quit back in 1885
and Gale auditioned Kenny for the
place. Orville (Hoppy) Jones, bass,
uleu IaSC mOnCn.
The singular turn in the case
hinges in the caliber of the legal
representation which is fighting the
case for Watson, Fuqua and Gale
in Supreme Court to get exclusive
right to the title, "Four Ink Spots, !"
which is the key to the success of
the singers. Arthur Garfield Hayes,
world famous civil liberties lawyer
and attorney for the National As
ISOLATION for the Advancement of
Colored People, is handling the case
for Watson, Fuqua and Gale while
1. Gainsburgh is representing Bill
Kenny.
Gale is continuing his addition
ing of singers for the tenor replace
ment for Kenny in a contemplated
Ink Spots group built around the
two original members left, and is
said already to have signed the
fourth, bass singer.
Attorney Hayes is said to have
interested himself in the matter
because he felt that Watson, Fuqua
and Gale were getting a bad deal
in the whole matter. His argu-
ments in court Dec. 4 will be to
establish proof that as original
members of the outfit, Watson and
Fuqua are the real proprietors of
the title, "Ink Spots" and not
Kenny. If this is proved, then
Kenny will have to get another
name for the singers he is leading
and the title will revert to Watson
and Fuqua and the other two sing
ers they choose to fill out the quar-
tet.
Meanwhile, a registered letter
was sent to Bill Kent, Joe Howard
and Carl Erbe, owners of,the Cafe
Zanzibar where Kenny and his
singers are earning $500 a week
on bookings by Gale, warning them
to be prepared to accept all conse-
quences for continuing to pay sal
aries to Kenny instead of to Gale
without the latter's consent. A law
suit would follow against the Fan
zibar for the amount paid Kenny
over the time the owners stopped
paying Gale, the agent, if the name,
Ink Spots, is handed to Watson and
Fuqua.
On the other hand, Watson,
Fuqua and Gale have announced
they are willing for Kenny to re-
turn to the group if he drops the
matter of heading the singers. If
not, however, they are intent on
carrying on the court case.