billy bowen's inkspots - gimme the key / boogiedoit
label: X-Tra, 1959?, style: instrumental rock'n'roll
listen to mp3s: a-side
b-side
Yet another South Carolina find, this one seems to be pretty obscure. At first I thought the Inkspots name was incidental as this was instrumental music as opposed to the famous harmony/proto-doowop style of the Inkspots... but Google proved me wrong...
Apparently Billy Bowen was once a member of the classic Inkspots in the 40's and 50's. The group at this period recorded some sides arranged by Bill Doggett, famous for his instro "Honky Tonk". When the Inkspots disintegrated in the 50's into various rival groups, this one was probably led by Mr. Bowen with Doggett's help (the b-side screams out Doggett's style)... why the record itself is so hideously obscure is unclear, perhaps they were sued out of using the Inkspots' moniker. Either that or this type of 50's instro just doesn't interest anybody any more...
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19.feb.2007