On Monday, August 4th 2008, we had the pleasure of
attending the second of two shows at the Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven
N.J. Beach Haven is a chic beach town on the Jersey shore. It was
such a delight to walk in the door of the theatre and see The Ink Spots
seated at a table. They were sharply dressed in black tuxes with gold
cummerbunds, bow ties, and handkerchiefs. We took pictures and Charlie
said hello to each of The Ink Spots. They are Sonny Hatchett, Harold Winley,
Herman Denby, and Morris Dow. Three of them sang with other groups in the
past. Sonny led Sonny and the Dukes, Harold sang bass with The
Clovers, Herman sang lead with the Swallows, and Morris, a guitar player,
was with Jimmy McGriff, Nancy Wilson, and Herb Kenney. Morris was an
uncle to the late Alphonso Howell of the Sensations and Silhouettes. Morris
also recently wrote a book called “Journey to the Fourth Season”. It's a
tale about the Seasons written for the whole family. The Illustrations done
by Juanita Maldonado are beautiful. What a great line up! Later when we
saw them on stage their great pedigrees were musically evident. Elmer
Hopper of the Mills Brothers was also out chatting with patrons from the
earlier performance but with the crowd around him we didn't get a chance to
talk to him until after the show.
The Ink Spots led off the show with “It’s a Sin to Tell a
Lie”,” The Gypsy”, and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”. Herman Denby did
most of the Leads. On the next two songs, "I’ll Never Smile Again” and
“Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall," Herman sang the lead and Harold did
the talking bass. For the song “Mood Indigo” Morris played guitar and
the harmonica. The group sang great renditions of many Ink Spots songs
ending their performance with “If I Didn’t Care”. What a fabulous group!
It was my first time seeing them and I would love to see them again.
A short film of the The Mills Brothers in the early years
preceded them on stage. The Mills Brothers are John Mills and Elmer
Hopper. I hadn’t seen them since September of 2005. Always a thrill to see
these performers. They were dressed in classy black tuxes with black bow
ties. Elmer sang with Paul Robi’s Platters for many years. John is the son
of Donald Mills. The duo are superb entertainers. John talked about the
Mills Brothers legacy, which started in 1922. He mentioned that “Tiger
Rag” was the first million seller of all time. They opened with “Opus
One”, “Paper Doll” and “Don’t Blame Me”. Elmer did a Platters' medley
featuring "Twilight Time” and “Only You”. John rejoined Elmer on stage to
sing “You Always Hurt The One You Love" and “Still There’s You” a song
written by John and once recorded with his father. The duo sang “Basin
Street Blues” imitating instruments by cupping their hands and using their
voices. A crowd pleaser, “Til Then” was very well received by the
audience. They ended their show with “Up a Lazy River.” A local three
piece band did a fabulous job backing both performances. After the show, we
were so happy to have time to talk and take photos with John and Elmer.
Check out their web site on our Link Page for a list of performances. They
are very talented and entertaining gentlemen.
Click on Photos to Enlarge! Then click Back Arrow to return to the
Gallery.
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The Mills Brothers: John Mills & Elmer Hopper
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Mills Brothers' Elmer Hopper, Charlie & John Mills
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Mills Brothers with Pam and our friends Nels & Lisa
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Pam & Elmer Hopper
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Charlie & Elmer Hopper
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The Ink Spots
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Ink Spots on stage
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Ink Spots, l to r: Sonny Hatchett, Herman Denby, Morris Dow, Harold Winley
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Pam & Charlie with the Ink Spots
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Harold Winley's former group, the Clovers
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Sonny Hatchett & Dukes record
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Herman Denby's former group, the Swallows
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