Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Johnny Ace

The Late Great Johnny Ace!

"Pledging My Love" (by Johnny Ace playing on the radio as Lorraine kisses Marty in the car) is on the following CD.

Memorial Album - Johnny Ace

The senseless death of young pianist Johnny Ace while indulging in a round of Russian roulette backstage at Houston's City Auditorium on Christmas Day of 1954 tends to overshadow his relatively brief but illustrious recording career on Duke Records. That's a pity, for Ace's gentle, plaintive vocal balladry deserves reverence on its own merit, not because of the scandalous fallout resulting from his tragic demise.

John Marshall Alexander was a member in good standing of the Beale Streeters, a loosely knit crew of Memphis youngbloods that variously included B.B. King, Bobby Bland, and Earl Forest. Signing with local DJ David Mattis' fledgling Duke logo in 1952, the rechristened Ace hit the top of the R&B charts his very first time out with the mellow ballad "My Song." From then on, Ace could do no musical wrong, racking up hit after hit for Duke in the same smooth, urbane style. "Cross My Heart," "The Clock," "Saving My Love for You," "Please Forgive Me," and "Never Let Me Go" all dented the uppermost reaches of the charts. And then, with one fatal gunshot, all that talent was lost forever (weepy tribute records quickly emerged by Frankie Ervin, Johnny Fuller, Varetta Dillard, and the Five Wings).

Ace scored his biggest hit of all posthumously. His haunting "Pledging My Love" (cut with the Johnny Otis orchestra in support) remained atop Billboard's R&B lists for ten weeks in early 1955. One further hit, "Anymore," exhausted Duke's stockpile of Ace masters, so they tried to clone the late pianist's success by recruiting Johnny's younger brother (St. Clair Alexander) to record as Buddy Ace. When that didn't work out, Duke boss Don Robey took singer Jimmy Lee Land, renamed him Buddy Ace, and recorded him all the way into the late '60s.
-- Bill Dahl, All-Music Guide

If you play guitar, or want to play guitar, or are interested in learning more about guitar (or more about me) check out my guitar clinic.


Click here to Learn to Play Guitar!

Where would you like to go?

Musical notes and sources



My Back to the Future Trivia page


My Back to the Future II Trivia page


My Back to the Future III Trivia page



The Goofs page



Click here to test your knowledge with my minutia quiz!



Please sign my Guestbook!

Sign My Guestbook Guestbook by GuestWorld View My Guestbook

Here's a Back to the Future mailing list!
Click the button to join!

Click to subscribe to bttf


An Epic Adventure told entirely in verse



Click here to Learn to Play Guitar!


Who wrote The Big Sleep? Click here and find out!


Who wrote The Maltese Falcon? Click here and find out!

Angelfire
Angelfire - Free Home Pages

Email: sadewater@hotmail.com