JOHNNY ACE
The legend of rhythm and blues singer Johnny Ace has persisted for well over a half century. In the early 1950s, he quickly rose to a position of extreme popularity within the R&B market. Then a freak "accident," as some have called it, occurred on December 25, 1954...and his life was over. At that time the word "legendary" began to precede his name, largely an emotional reaction from millions of fans, deejays, music critics and industry insiders and the result of a promotional push from his label to use the tragedy to sell more records. But is the term that precedes the name warranted? Perhaps it's based on his recorded output (less than 30 sides), though his personal life reveals some serious flaws that, at the very least, are at odds with his image. His father was ... MORE ››
