lp records
The Best of the Ink Spots. Murray Hill 897571 3 record set.  vinyl Mint.  box is flattened, seams split. 

I am not a record grading expert, I have just visually inspected the records . I think you will be very happy with these records.

These records came from the estate of Lew Dewitt, Lewis Calvin "Lew" DeWitt (March 12, 1938 - August 15, 1990) was an    and . He was also a well known country music guitarist and tenor singer and was the original tenor and founding member of 
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The Ink Spots were an African-American  vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style led to the  and  , and the subgenre . The Ink Spots were widely accepted in both the white and black communities, largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer .

In 1989, the Ink Spots (Bill Kenny, Deek Watson, Charlie Fuqua and Hoppy Jones) were inducted into the , and in 1999 they were inducted into the . Since the Ink Spots disbanded in 1954, there have been well over 100 vocal groups calling themselves "The Ink Spots" without any right to the name, and without any original members of the group. These groups often have claimed to be "2nd generation" or "3rd generation" Ink Spots.  The Ink Spots formed in the early 1930s in Indianapolis. The founding members were:

Hoppy Jones (born, as Orville Jones, 17 February 1902, ,  – d. 18 October 1944, ) sang . He played  in the manner of a . Deek Watson (born as Ivory Jones, 18 July 1909,  – d. 4 November 1969, ) sang  and played . Jerry Daniels (b. 14 December 1915 – d. 7 November 1995, , ) sang tenor and played guitar and . Charlie Fuqua (b. 20 October 1910 – d. 21 December 1971, ) had a  voice and played guitar and tenor guitar

As "Jerry and Charlie", Jerry Daniels and Charlie Fuqua had formed a vocal duo performing in the Indianapolis area around 1931. About the same time, Jones and Watson were part of a quartet, "The Four Riff Brothers", who appeared regularly on radio station WLW in , . In 1933, that group disbanded, and Watson, Daniels and Fuqua got together to form a new vocal, instrumental and comedy group, which was initially called "King, Jack, and Jester". They continued to appear regularly on radio in Ohio, and became a foursome when Jones was added to the group the following year.

In July 1934 they accepted a booking at the , New York, supporting . At this point they had changed their name to "The 4 Ink Spots". Later in 1934, the Ink Spots achieved international success touring the UK with 's Orchestra, one review in the  stating

“The sensation of the programme is the coloured quartette, the Four Ink Spots. They sing in a style something between the  and the , and accompany themselves on three tenor guitars and a cello — which is not bowed, but picked and slapped like a double bass. Their natural instinct for hot rhythm is exemplified in their terrific single-string solo work and their beautifully balanced and exquisitely phrased vocalisms. They exploit all kinds of rhythmic vocalisms — straight solos, concerted, , and instrumental imitations. They even throw in a bit of dancing to conclude their act, and the leading guitarist simultaneously plays and juggles with his instrument.”— Melody Maker, 

They first recorded for  in 1935, but although the group was growing rapidly in popularity, their early record releases were not commercially successful. Their first recordings included songs such as "Swingin' On The Strings", "Your Feet's Too Big", "Don't 'Low No Swingin' In Here" and "Swing, Gate, Swing"

In 1936, Jerry Daniels was replaced by a 21-year-old singer from Baltimore, , who signed on with the Ink Spots after winning first place in an amateur contest at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. Three years later Kenny would be credited for bringing the group to global success with his unusual high tenor ballad singing.[]

In 1938, after being in the group for two years, Bill Kenny started to introduce the group to a new format that he called "Top & Bottom". This format was used primarily for ballads rather than the uptempo "jive" songs the group was used to performing. This format called for the tenor (Bill Kenny or Deek Watson) to sing the lead for one chorus followed by a chorus performed by Bass singer Hoppy Jones where he would recite the lyrics rather than sing them. After a chorus of the "talking bass" the lead tenor would carry out the rest of the song until the end. The earliest example of their "Top & Bottom" format is from a radio broadcast from 1938. The song entitled "Tune In on My Heart" features Bill Kenny taking the lead and Hoppy Jones performing the talking bass.

The year 1938 also saw Bill Kenny taking his first feature solo in Decca studios. His feature was on a song entitled "I Wish You the Best of Everything". Although it wasn't in the "Top & Bottom" format it was a ballad and did use the signature Ink Spots guitar intro. Even though this record did get a good response it wasn't very successful in terms of record sales and didn't reach the pop charts

 Lewis Calvin "Lew" DeWitt (March 12, 1938 - August 15, 1990) was an    and . He was also a well known country music guitarist and tenor singer and was the original tenor and founding member of .For most of his career, DeWitt sang tenor for The Statler Brothers. Songs he wrote for the group include "" which was a greatest hit during the late 60s and early 70s that made The Statler Brothers popular, "Things," "Since Then," "Thank You World," "The Strand," "The Movies," and "Chet Atkins' Hand." In November 1981, DeWitt took a leave of absence from the band due to surgery and treatment for , from which he had suffered since . At his suggestion,  was tapped as his temporary replacement. He would rejoin the group in June of the following year (with Fortune having been offered a permanent position in the group's backing band), but this arrangement lasted less than a week. He officially retired that same month with Fortune becoming his permanent replacement.

Three years later, DeWitt, feeling that his health had taken a turn for the better through continuing treatment, mounted a solo career. During this time he would return to touring and would release two albums: Here to Stay (1984) and On My Own (1985). He also charted a solo single on the country charts: the No. 77 "" in 1985. A third and final album for the Compleat label remains unreleased, although two singles were pulled from it just prior to the label going into bankruptcy.

He would remain active as a performer until late 1989, when his health went into a downward spiral which culminated in his death on August 15, 1990. The cause of death was heart and kidney disease, stemming from complications of .

The Statler Brothers (sometimes referred to in country music circles as simply The Statlers) were an American , , and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally and in 1964 they began singing backup for .

Originally performing  music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen. In 1963, when the song "" by the  band also called  became famous, the group elected to bill themselves as The Statler Brothers. Despite the name, only two members of the group (Don and Harold Reid) are actual brothers and none has the surname of Statler. The band, in fact, named themselves after a brand of  they had noticed in a hotel room (they joked that they could have turned out to be the  Brothers).  sang ; , Don's older brother, sang ; Phil Balsley sang ; and  sang  and was the  of the Statlers before being replaced by  in 1983 due to DeWitt's ill health. DeWitt continued to perform as a solo artist until his death on August 15, 1990 from heart and kidney disease.

The band's style was closely linked to their gospel roots. "We took gospel harmonies," said Harold Reid, "and put them over in country music."

The group remained closely tied to their gospel roots, with a majority of their records containing at least one gospel song. They produced several albums containing only gospel music and recorded a tribute song to the , who influenced their music. The Statler Brothers also wrote a tribute song to , who discovered them. The song was called "We Got Paid by Cash", and it reminisces about their time with Cash.  Very early on in the group's history, before the group named themselves "The Statler Brothers," Joe McDorman was their original lead singer.

The Statler Brothers started their career at a performance at Lyndhurst Methodist Church near their hometown of Staunton. In 1964, they started to become Johnny Cash's backing vocal for an ?8 1?2-year run as his opening act. This period of their career was memorialized in their song "We Got Paid by Cash". They were featured regularly on Cash's hit show  on . The show ran from 1969-1971. Due to their expanding career the Statlers left Cash's entourage around the mid 1970s to pursue their own careers. They left Cash on good terms.

Two of their best-known songs are "", their first major hit that was composed and written by , and the socially conscious "". In the 1980s, the Statlers were a mainstay on , where their videos were shown regularly. Also on TNN, between 1991 and 1998, they hosted their own show, , a weekly  which was the channel's top-rated program for its entire run. Their songs have been featured on several film soundtracks. These range from "Charlotte's Web" in , to "" in the crime dramedy .

Throughout their career, much of their appeal was related to their incorporation of comedy and parody into their musical act, thanks in large part to the humorous talent of group member Harold Reid; they were frequently nominated for awards for their comedy as well as their singing. They recorded two comedy albums as Lester "Roadhog" Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys, and one-half of one side of the album Country Music Then and Now was devoted to satirizing small-town radio stations' Saturday morning shows.

They earned the number one spot on the  four times: for "?" in 1978; "" in 1984; and in 1985, "My Only Love" and "".

Since forming, the Statler Brothers have released over 40 albums.

The Statler Brothers purchased and renovated their former elementary school in Staunton, and occupied the complex for several years. The complex consisted of offices for the group, a small museum and auditorium, as well as an adjacent building which served as office space for unrelated businesses. A garage was built to store the two tour buses that the group had used for many years. The group has since sold the building which has been converted back into a school.[]

In 1970, the group began performing at an annual  festival in Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton. The event, known as "Happy Birthday USA", lasted for 25 years and included many country music figures including ,  and many others. The event drew as many as 100,000 fans each year. The group also honored their hometown with the song "Staunton, Virginia" on their 1973 album Do You Love Me Tonight

Location: shelf by ping pong records should be cleaned before playing. may have dust, fingerprints, etc.