A recent viewing of the film noir classic “Too Late for Tears,” starring Elizabeth Scott, brought to mind — with some confusion — the song “Time Out for Tears,” by Bill Kenny and the Ink Spots. The film (1949) and the song (1950) arrived almost simultaneously and with a similar appeal to the American public. Kenny’s splendid voice and expressive delivery were a mainstay of popular music of the era, even though he rarely got the praise he deserved.
William Francis Kenny, Jr. was born on June 12, 1914, at Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. His father was a victim of the 1919 influenza. During that same year, his mother moved Bill and his twin brother, Herb, to Washington, D.C., and later to Baltimore. To earn a living, she worked as a dressmaker and made drapes for department stores.
Kenny was in the third grade at St. Peter’s Parochial School when he first sang in public, already demonstrating his four-octave tenor voice and thrilling the audience with a version of “The Japanese Sandman.”
In an interview with an African American publication, Kenny recounted his formative years as a singer. “’I’ve been singing since I was 7 and never had a voice lesson in my life,” he said. “I was sitting in class one day, and I began singing. My teacher wanted to know who was singing and at first, I was afraid to answer, but finally, I confessed. I was singing a full soprano then and unless you knew, you would have thought a girl was singing. Anyhow, the teacher kept me after school, but instead of punishing me, he arranged for me to sing in the auditorium.”
His appearances on stage continued at Booker T. Washington High School and by this time, his musical path was established. After graduation from high school, he attended an art school in the nation’s capital, and on occasion, entered amateur contests in theaters throughout the metro area.
During a vacation stint in Atlantic City, he participated in 22 amateur nightclub contests, winning all but one of them. The city was also the beginning of his professional career, with bookings at the Ritz-Carlton Gardens.
Phil Berle, brother of comedian Milton Berle, heard Kenny one evening and immediately offered him a contract. This relationship was short-lived, but as one door closed, another opened after Kenny won a contest at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom. The first-place victory also earned him a position (I almost said spot) with the renowned Ink Spots.
The popularity of the Ink Spots was matchless, and they inspired a host of singing doo-wop groups such as the Orioles, Flamingos, Ravens, Clovers, and Billy Ward and the Dominoes. Nearly every major urban center with a Black neighborhood had its share of aspiring young men doing their best imitation of Kenny and the Ink Spots.
Bill Kenny rivaled Billy Eckstine in the impact they had on admiring vocalists. His brother explained some of Kennys influences — most notably Morton Downey, whom he listened to religiously on the radio. The effect Downey had on him was similar to one he had on a crop of successive singers — Toney Williams, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke and Clyde McPhatter.
Kenny’s voice on such signature songs as “I Wish You Everything” in 1938 — his first recorded solo in a studio — launched a string of hits, peaking with “If I Didn’t Care.” His mellow renditions were often accompanied by Charlie Fuqua’s guitar intros, and Orville “Hoppy” Jones’s “talking bass.”
Some of the tunes were hit parade features, most memorably “My Prayer,” “Memories of You,” and “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” all of which topped the charts in 1939. Subsequently, the Ink Spots signed a long-term contract with Decca Records. In photos of the group, Kenny is easily recognized as the tallest, standing 6 feet and 3 inches.
Throughout the 1940s, Bill was the lead singer on most of the group’s 45 recordings. He also had cameo roles in several films, including “Pardon My Sarong” with Abbott and Costello. His duets with Ella Fitzgerald increased their popularity, especially their version of “I’m Beginning to See the Light.”
In 1948, the group performed on the first-ever Ed Sullivan television show.
As so often happens with groups, the Ink Spots began to splatter in the early 1950s, after their last studio recordings. Soon, there were several groups known as the Ink Spots with different personnel and Bill Kenny and Charlie Fuqua as leaders.
By 1951, Kenny was a solo act, which lasted until his death in 1978. Kenny wrote or co-wrote many of the songs by the group, including “I Can’t Stand Losing You,” written while he was still in high school.
Kenny was married three times, and was severely burned in 1969 in a gas tank explosion. He suffered third-degree burns and respiratory problems from inhaling the fumes, which may have later led to his death.
Kenny died on March 23, 1978, in New Westminster, B.C., Canada, at 63. His funeral service was held at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver. “Although there were tears from some in the congregation and from the nine eulogists, Mrs. Audrey Kenny asked that the service be kept cheerful,” according to one account of the proceedings. “About 200 people — family, friends, and a few fans — were in attendance,” which kind of brings things to a complete circle of tears.
In 1989, Kenny was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is widely considered as the “godfather” of R&B tenor vocalists.