Deek Watson And His Brown Dots

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

The Brown Dots were initially formed in late 1944, when second tenor Ivory "Deek" Watson (b. 18 July 1909, Mounds, Illinois - d. 4 November 1969, Washington, DC) left the Ink Spots. He immediately put together a competing Ink Spots group consisting of lead tenor Joe King, bass Jimmy Gordon, and an unknown baritone.

By late January 1945, a lawsuit brought by the Ink Spots caused Deek Watson to claim that he would form a new group based on a "completely new idea". This new idea was simply to change their name to the Brown Dots and to sound as much like the Ink Spots as possible (although the Brown Dots employed more extensive harmonies). At this time, the unknown baritone left, to be replaced by baritone/guitarist William "Pat" Best.

By March 1945, they were recording for Newark (New Jersey)-based Manor records. At their first session, they recorded four songs, including "Sentimental Reasons" (written by Pat Best and led by Joe King). This song would become more popular through the years as "For Sentimental Reasons" or "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons".

By late summer or early fall, Joe King left, to be replaced by Jimmie Nabbie, who had originally wanted to be an operatic tenor.

Deek Watson always seemed to be in the middle of personality clashes. He had left the Ink Spots because of multiple clashes with Bill Kenny and Joe King had left the Brown Dots when he and Watson started fighting. By late 1946, Watson and the rest of the Brown Dots weren't getting along.

Rather than break up the group, Nabbie, Best, and Gordon recruited tenor Danny Owens. Originally calling themselves the Sentimentalists, they began recording for Manor behind Deek's back (just to see if they could make it on their own). When Deek finally found out, he left them and formed another Brown Dots group, about which next to nothing is known. (Some later Brown Dots records have a vocal group and some don't.)

The Sentimentalists started recording in earnest, including some backups to Savannah Churchill. However, bandleader Tommy Dorsey contacted them and asked them (politely) to cease using the "Sentimentalists" name (since he'd recently had a vocal group by that name, although they'd since changed their name to the Clark Sisters). However, since Dorsey was nice about it, they complied, changing their name to the 4 Tunes. Under this name, they would become the leading black Pop vocal group of the 1950s.


DEEK WATSON AND HIS BROWN DOTS - JUST IN CASE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND



DEEK WATSON AND HIS BROWN DOTS - IS IT RIGHT

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

ROFLMBO

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

Lawd there was nothing but drama....SMH

At the end of October, Deek Watson tried to return to the Ink Spots; Bill Kenny refused to allow him back on stage. This triggered a complex array of legal machinations, which unfolded throughout late 1944 (and paved the way for lawsuits throughout the 1950s and 1960s). Suits and countersuits followed, and courtrooms became the place for memorable, albeit nonmusical, performances.

Starting in early November 1944, there was a bitter court battle involving Deek Watson and Charlie Fuqua on one hand, Bill Kenny on the other, and manager Moe Gale on the third:

1. Watson and Charlie Fuqua sued Kenny for $250,000 and the right to get back into the group, as well as to deny Kenny the right to use the name “Ink Spots” until they were reinstated. That battle they lost almost immediately. Even though Fuqua was still in the army (stateside), he sued to be allowed back into the group upon his discharge, as well as to be declared a full partner in the Ink Spots. Both Watson and Fuqua wanted to deny Kenny the right to represent himself as the sole owner of the Ink Spots name.

2. Kenny sued Gale for an accounting, charging that Gale took a 50% cut out of the group's earnings, as well as his 10% commission. (Gale said that he paid a lot of the group's expenses, such as advertising, arrangements, publicity, and half their transportation.) Gale also countered that they had signed a new 5-year contract with him just the prior year, indicating that they were satisfied with his services.

3. Gale sided with Deek Watson, and sued to deny Kenny the right to use the “Ink Spots” name if he wouldn't use Watson in the group.

It was finally decided to roll all the lawsuits into a single trial, which began in December 1944.

On January 8, 1945, the entire litigation mess was settled out of court. As it turned out, Deek was the one who was denied the name; clubs were barred from booking any Ink Spots group not containing Bill Kenny. Watson countered that he was going to form a new group based “on a completely new idea.” Gale was to remain as Kenny's manager (his contract had four and a half years to go). Watson and Fuqua retained a financial interest in Bill Kenny's earnings (with Fuqua being paid a weekly salary even though in the army). Finally, Kenny dropped his suit against Gale.

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA

[Edie Antoinette]

Lawd, Sole, you are terrible..now that I went up and looked at his leg I ain't NO mo' good!!! bwaaaahaaaa!!!

[Edie Antoinette]

Whatever happened to SweetBear???

[Edie Antoinette]

*rollin laffin*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You got me on the flo'!!!!!!

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

Here i go spotting stuff....LOL. The second dude from the left, whats wrong with his left leg....ROFLMBO

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

I would have loved to have been back in that era

[Edie Antoinette]

They was sharp as tacs! That's what I love about the groups back then.

[Edie Antoinette]

ROFL....that is a great pic!!!!