Joseph Boatner led various groups using the "Ink Spots" name until his death in Laconia, New Hampshire; home of the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby.
Boatner led various groups using the "Ink Spots" name until the 1980s. Boatner died on May 8, 1989 at the age of 70 at the Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia, New Hampshire. Each June, for nine days, beginning on the Saturday of the weekend before Father's Day and ending on Father's Day, the city hosts Laconia Motorcycle Week, also more simply known as "Bike Week", one of the country's largest rallies, and each winter, the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby. 
