Johnny Ace
Johnny Ace , real name John Marshall Alexander Junior , (born June 9, 1929 in Memphis , Tennessee , † December 25, 1954 in Houston , Texas ) was an American rhythm and blues singer.
Life
Ace was born one of nine children to a preacher and was best known for his early and spectacular death. He learned to play the piano and performed in the bars of Memphis after the war and became a pianist in Adolph Duncan's band. In 1949 he joined the Beagles Street Blue Boys . The group, which was still unknown at the time, consisted partly of musicians such as BB King and Bobby "Blue" Bland , who were to become successful blues and rhythm and blues interpreters in the years that followed .
In 1951 the group had earned a good reputation and the first recordings followed. At a studio session, Johnny Ace had to replace the indisposed Bobby Bland. The producer liked his singing style, and with the title My Song the unknown artist immediately reached number 1 on the R&B charts. From this point on he performed under the stage name "Johnny Ace" ("Johnny" came from Johnnie Ray , "Ace" from the Four Aces ; artist he was very valued). His second recording, Cross My Heart , also made it to the top of the charts, but this was financially overwhelming for the small record company. While looking for a financially strong partner, Ace came across Don Robey , a music producer and promoter notorious for his unscrupulousness.
His next record, The Clock , returned to number one on the charts, as did Saving My Love for You . That was four number 1 titles in 12 months. Don Robey sent him on tour with Big Mama Thornton , Bobby Blue Bland and Junior Parker . In the middle of the year the touring stress and the pressure to perform became noticeable. His next record, Please Forgive Me, was less successful, Ace started drinking and surrounded himself with questionable characters.
On Christmas Eve 1954, Johnny Ace drank in his cloakroom with twelve other people after an appearance in Houston . He kept playing with a revolver into which he had loaded a cartridge and aimed at those present. When one of the guests suggested that he should kindly aim at himself, Ace put the revolver to his temple, pulled the trigger and a shot went off. Johnny Ace died in hospital a few hours later.
Posthumously, his title Pledging My Love , published as a single in January 1955, became his most successful title, topping the R&B charts for ten weeks and reaching number 17 in the singles charts.
At the same time, a real run on the records of Johnny Ace began, an enthusiasm that a number of artists such as Johnny Fuller , Varetta Dillard , The Five Wings and Johnny Otis knew how to use for commemorative plates of Johnny Ace . Paul Simon dedicated a song to Johnny Ace on his album Hearts And Bones ( The Late Great Johnny Ace ). Dave Alvin sings on his album Eleven Eleven : Johnny Ace is dead . "Polo Hofer and the Butter Band " immortalized Johnny Ace in Swiss German dialect on the album Giggerig in 1985 .
Discography (singles)
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 R&B
|
|||
| 1952 | My song |
R&B1 (... week) R&B |
Duke (# 102)
First published: August 1952 B-side: Follow The Rules |
| Cross My Heart |
R&B4 (... weeks) R&B |
Duke (# 107)
First published: November 1952 B-side: Angel |
|
| 1953 | The clock |
R&B1 (... week) R&B |
Duke (# 112)
First published: June 1953 B-side: Ace's Wild |
| Saving My Love For You |
R&B3 (... weeks) R&B |
Duke (# 118)
First published: December 1953 B-side: Yes Baby |
|
| 1954 | You've Been Gone So Long |
R&B10 (... wk.) R&B |
Duke (# 128)
First published: May 1954 B-side: Ace's Wild |
| Never Let Me Go |
R&B9 (... weeks) R&B |
Duke (# 132)
First published: September 1954 B-side: Burley Cutie |
|
| Posthumous publications | |||
| 1955 | Pledging my love |
R&B1 (... week) R&B |
Duke (# 136)
First published: May 1954 B-side: Anymore |
| Anymore |
R&B9 (... weeks) R&B |
Duke (# 144)
First published: May 1954 B-side: How Can You Be So Mean |
|
More singles
- 1955-12: So Lonely / I'm Crazy Baby - Duke 148
- 1956-07: Still Love You So / Don't You Know - Duke 154
In the movie
The song Pledging My Love is used in the films Hexenkessel by Martin Scorsese and John Carpenter's 1983 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Christine . He is also played in Abel Ferrara's film Bad Lieutenant .
literature
- Lynn Ellis McCutcheon: Rhythm and Blues. An Experience and Adventure in Its Origin and Development . Arlington, Virginia: RW Beatty Ltd, 1971, pp. 138-142.
Web links
- Johnny Ace at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pareles, Jon / Romanowski, Patricia (Eds.): The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll . London: Rolling Stone Press / Michael Joseph, 1983, p. 2
- ↑ McCutcheon, Lynn Ellis: Rhythm and Blues. An Experience And Adventure In Its Origin And Development . Arlington / Virginia: RW Beatty Ltd, 1971, p. 140
- ^ US catalog number Duke 136
- ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, p. 9
- ↑ In the following, the positions of the singles in the R&B bestseller charts are given, not the positions in the R&B juke box charts. This can lead to discrepancies in the information in the secondary literature, as the best ranking is often simply given there, regardless of which of the two hit parades it was achieved in. The chart positions in the overview were taken from Whitburn, Joel: The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits . New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006, p. 7
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ace, Johnny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Alexander, John Marshall (civil) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 9, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Memphis , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 25, 1954 |
| Place of death | Houston , Texas |