According to reports, he had a legal limit of .30, which is almost four times the legal state limit of .08. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 25. INTRO: C Dm G C #1. Johnny Ace is one of the most respected blues bass players in the business today and a consummate showman. Johnny Lee Middleton (born May 7, 1963 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the bass guitar player for Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Becoming "Johnny Ace", he signed to Duke Records (originally a Memphis label associated with WDIA) in 1952. He and Luther Perkins were the Tennessee Two, the band which backed Johnny Cash. Paul Simon wrote and performed the song "The Late Great Johnny Ace" (1983), in which a boy, upon hearing of the death of Ace, orders a photograph of the deceased singer: "It came all the way from Texas / With a sad and simple face / And they signed it on the bottom / From the Late Great Johnny Ace." [12] Their son, Glenn Alexander, was born later that year. May 1, 2015 - Explore Mandy Jones's board "Johnny Ace on the Bass" on Pinterest. Riley's version includes drummer Steve Riley, bassist Kelly Nickels, lead guitarist Scotty Griffin and singer/rhythm guitarist Kurt Frohlich Johnny Ace an up and coming rhythm and blues singer had it all going his way until he shot himself on Christmas of 1954. 136 Chapter - "Number One With a Bullet". However two eyewitnesses tell a different story. [10] In December 1954, he was named the Most Programmed Artist of 1954, according to the results of a national poll of disc jockeys conducted by the U.S. trade weekly Cash Box. B. On Christmas Day, 1954, Johnny was fooling around between sets at a Houston show. According to bass player Curtis Tillman, “I will tell you Ace's funeral was on January 2, 1955, at Memphis' Clayborn Temple AME church. "Pledging My Love" became a posthumous R&B #1 hit for ten weeks beginning February 12, 1955. Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman November 7, 2016. Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! Ace's song "Pledging My Love" appears in the 1973 Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets and John Carpenter's 1983 movie Christine, based on Stephen King's novel. The song also appears in the movie "Back To the Future" It is playing in the background of the scene with Marty and his mother in the yellow car. the Swiss Singer Polo Hofer and the Schmetterband wrote the Song ``Johnny Ace`` in 1985 - it was released on the album Giggerig. Even though veteran West Coast bassist Johnny Ace contributed to Cathy Lemons' 1997 solo release and the two have been frequent collaborators for some time, this is the first album where they share co-billing. Here's a video showing the bass guitar player how to play through the Johnny Winters version of Johnny B Goode. Curtis Tillman, Big Mama Thornton’s bass player: “Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! B. Kingband. Learn songs not scales. He then joined the B. Tributes Paul Simon wrote a song called "The Late Great Johnny Ace" (on his Hearts and Bones album) that references Johnny Ace's death as well as John Lennon's and John Kennedy's. [1] After he was discharged,[1] Alexander joined Adolph Duncan's Band as a pianist, playing around Beale Street in Memphis. According to Thornton, Ace pointed the gun at his girlfriend and another woman who were sitting nearby but did not fire. It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. ISBN 0-684-18149-5 (Paperback)(c) 1984 pg. It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. ", Studio albums and compilations containing only/mostly Johnny Ace material, Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites, ANNI-FRID SYNNI-LYNGSTAD-FREDRIKSSON-ANDERSSON, "Midnight Hours Journey" / "Trouble and Me" (1954), "Saving My Love For You" / "Yes, Baby" (duet with Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton) (1954), "Please Forgive Me" / "You've Been Gone So Long" (1954), "Never Let Me Go" / "Burley Cutie" [Instrumental] (1954), "Anymore" / "How Can You Be So Mean" (1955), "So Lonely" / "I'm So Crazy, Baby" (1956), "Don't You Know" / "I Still Love You So" (1956). Johnny Christ From "Avenged Sevenfold" is Number 7! Third Song Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash. 16 on the Billboard 1954 Disk Jockey Poll for R&B Favorite Artists. Edit: According to Nick Tosches' book Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll, Johnny Ace actually shot himself with a .32 pistol, not a .22, and it happened only a little more than an hour after he had bought a brand new 1955 Oldsmobile. Soon King departed for Los Angeles and vocalist Bobby Bland joined the army. I have played in bands since since 2006, when I was 14, most recently in ‘The Big Sets’, a funk and blues band. He was one of the stars of U.S. rhythm and blues singing. I have had my own dream to be a lead bass player in a big band, ever since. Alexander took over vocal duties and renamed the band The Beale Streeters, also taking over King's WDIA radio show. In 1951, Ike Turner, who was a talent scout and producer for Modern Records, arranged for Alexander and other Beale Streeters to record for Turner's label. Pledging My Love:Johnny Ace. King, late 1940s and early 1950s; signed to Duke label, 1952; given name Johnny Ace by Duke label as part of band name Johnny Ace with the New Blues Sound; placed eight singles in rhythm-and-blues top ten, 1952-54; heavy touring schedule of up to 350 performa… In 1990 and 1991 he has been recording in the same L.A. studio where he recorded many of his earlier hits. Johnny Ace is not only a master bass player but is also one of the most entertaining showman around the SF Bay Area. Johnny Ace on bass and vox, John (Nuzzo) Leslie harp & vox, Howard Levine, guitar and Frannie Kristina on drums--Tino Gross (Howling Diablos) was also off and on with the band) Ace and Palmer were married in Earle, Arkansas, on July 17, 1950; She was 16 and he was 21. and Mrs. John Alexander; married Lois Jean Palmer; children: one son; died December 25, 1954. He then pointed the gun toward himself, bragging that he knew which chamber was loaded. Bass tablature for Johnny B Goode (100% correct) by Chuck Berry. This enables Blackie to switch back from bass to playing rhythm guitar. Playing music with his friends and copying the Motown and R&B hits of the time, each person would pick a part; one guy would play the lead, one the rhythm and one the bass. David Allan Coe covered "Pledging My Love", introducing the song with his own recollections of hearing the news of Ace's death. He still uses a Gibson ES-335 onstage. The Duck Dunn Challenge – Self Study; 80-20 Bass – What Is 80-20 Bass? Born John MarshallAlexander on June 9, 1929, in Memphis, TN; son of Rev. Johnny Ace was a monumental talent dealt the worst hand imaginable much too soon. Otherwise, everything falls apart.