Career
After serving in the navy during WWII, Alexander joined Adolph Duncan's Band as a pianist. He then joined the B. B. King band. Soon King departed for Los Angeles and Bobby Bland joined the army. Alexander took over vocal duties and renamed the band The Beale Streeters,[1] also taking over King's WDIA radio show.
Becoming "Johnny Ace", he signed to Duke Records (originally a Memphis label associated with WDIA) in 1952 . My Song, his first recording, topped the R&B charts for 9 weeks in September. (My Song was covered in 1968 by Aretha Franklin.)
Ace began heavy touring, often with Willa Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. In the next two years, he had eight hits in a row, including "Cross My Heart," "Please Forgive Me," "The Clock," "Yes, Baby." and "Never Let Me Go." In December, 1954 he was named the Most Programmed Artist Of 1954 after a national DJ poll organized by U.S. trade weekly Cash Box.
Ace's recordings sold very well for those times. Early in 1955, Duke Records announced that the three 1954 Johnny Ace recordings, along with Thornton's "Hound Dog", had sold more than 1,750,000 records.
Death
After touring for a year, Ace had been performing at the City Auditorium in Houston, Texas on Christmas 1954. During a break between sets, a drunken Ace allegedly decided to play a game of Russian Roulette. He aimed a .45 caliber revolver at his girlfriend, Olivia Gibbs, and pulled the trigger. He then attempted to shoot her friend, Mary Carter. Both times, the hammer fell on an empty chamber. He then swiftly turned the gun on himself and ended his life.
The official story has always been that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette, but there have been rumors that Johnny Ace was murdered by Don D. Robey. The only official witnesses were record company owner Don D. Robey, who Ace had been trying to renegotiate his contract with, and singer Big Mama Thornton. Both Robey and Thornton testified that Ace killed himself; both went to their graves without ever changing their story — and without convincing many insiders that Johnny hadn't been murdered.
Big Mama Thorton in a written statement (included in the book The Late Great Johnny Ace) said during the investigation that Ace had been playing with the gun, but not playing Russian Roulette. According to Thornton, Ace pointed the gun at his girlfriend and another woman who were sitting nearby, but did not fire. He then pointed the gun toward himself. The gun went off, shooting him in the side of the head.
Ace's January 2, 1955 funeral at Memphis' Clayborn Temple AME church was attended by an estimated 5000 people.
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. He performed the song solo during a reunion concert with Art Garfunkel in Central Park in 1981. A fan rushed the stage during the song and was quickly arrested. Simon then completed the song. The incident was shown on the concert video on HBO, but the song was excluded from the live album from that concert.
Rock band Dash Rip Rock has written, recorded & released a song named "Johnny Ace" which tells the story of Johnny Ace's life and death.
Will Oldham (as Palace Music) released a 45 "Gezundeit/Let the Wires Ring" in 1995, "Let the wires ring" last verse mentions Johnny Ace's death.
"Next wave wash your pretty face/ And keep in mind that Johnny Ace/ Was drunk, was fucked, was not on stage/ When he made that silly move he made/ And only after once dead we/ Adore him more, adore that money/ After when his corpse was cool/ That ugly memorable fool/ Who shot the Christmas spirit down/ And lit a fame, that half-made clown."
(full lyrics: http://pry.com/pulpit/lyrics/wiresring.html)
His biggest song, the haunting Pledging My Love, became a hit posthumously in 1955 . His single sides were compiled and released as The Johnny Ace Memorial Album.
David Allan Coe released his tribute version of "Pledging My Love" first on the 1981 album 'Tennessee Whiskey' and then later on his 1990 album 'Headed For The Country'.
Johnny Ace and "Pledging My Love" are mentioned in the early Sam Shepard one-act play Cowboy Mouth.
An early scene in Charles Burnett's 1977 film, Killer of Sheep, includes the line "Going out like Johnny Ace."
He is one of the names mentioned in the television adaptation of Stephen King's short story You Know They Got a Hell of a Band from Nightmares & Dreamscapes. Ace is one of the late musical legends set to appear on stage.
"The Night Johnny Ace Died," short fiction by James Lee Burke, appears in the March 2007 issue of Esquire magazine.
Discography
1952 Remember I Love You (SUN, unissued)
1952 I Cried Last Night (SUN, unissued)
1952 My Song / Follow the Rule (Duke 102) - with Beale Streeters
1953 Cross my Heart / Angel (Duke 107) - with Beale Streeters
1953 The Clock / Aces Wild (Duke 112) - Ace playing piano
1954 Midnight Hours Journey / Trouble And Me (Earl Forrest) (rerelease of 1951 Flair 1015)
1954 Saving my Love for You / Yes, Yes, Baby (Duke 118)
1954 Please Forgive Me / You've Been Gone So Long (Duke 128)
1954 Never Let Me Go / Burley Cutie (Duke 132)
1954 Pledging My Love / No Money (Duke 136) (posthumous release, 12 Feb 1955) - #1 on R&B charts for 10 weeks, US pop charts #17.
1955 Anymore / How Can You Be So Mean (Duke 144) - 10" 78rpm
1956 So Lonely/ I'm Crazy Baby (Duke 148)
1956 Don't You Know / I Still Love You So (Duke 154)
1955 Johnny Ace Memorial Album (Duke LP-70) - 10" EP
1974 Johnny Ace Memorial Album (ABC/Duke DLPX71)
The Clock
Johnny Ace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it doesn't tell me nothing at all.
That face of the clock just stares at me.
It knows I'm lonely and always will be.
I want to cry my heart out.
Want my baby back with me.
Got nothing but time to step out.
But time means nothing to me.
'Cause the clock and I are so lonely in this room.
Instrumental break
I want to cry my heart out.
Want my baby back to me.
Got nothing but time to step out.
But time means nothing to me.
If you hear me, please come back real soon.
'Cause the clock and I are so lonely in this room.
The song "The Clock" by Johnny Ace is a heart-wrenching ballad about loneliness and the passing of time. The lyrics describe a man who is staring at the face of the clock on the wall, which seems to taunt him with its unfeeling gaze. The clock serves as a visual representation of the emptiness the man feels inside. Despite having all the time in the world, he finds himself unable to fill the void left by his lost love. He longs for her to come back to him so that he can once again feel complete, but in the meantime, he is left alone with nothing but his sorrow and the ticking of the clock.
The repetition of the lines "I want to cry my heart out" and "Got nothing but time to step out" emphasize the man's desperation and hopelessness. He is stuck in a never-ending cycle of waiting and longing, unable to move forward without his missing love. The instrumental break provides a momentary respite from the melancholy lyrics, but it is brief and ultimately serves to amplify the sense of loneliness that permeates the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked at the face of the clock on the wall.
I gazed at the clock on the wall's face.
And it doesn't tell me nothing at all.
The clock's face doesn't provide any information for me.
That face of the clock just stares at me.
The clock's expressionless face is fixated on me.
It knows I'm lonely and always will be.
The clock understands and acknowledges that I am lonesome and will remain so forever.
I want to cry my heart out.
I wish to shed tears with passion.
Want my baby back with me.
I yearn to have my lover by my side once again.
Got nothing but time to step out.
I have an abundance of time to spare.
But time means nothing to me.
However, time lacks any real significance to me.
If you hear me, please come back real soon.
If you happen to hear me, please come back to me soon.
'Cause the clock and I are so lonely in this room.
As the clock and I are all by ourselves in the empty space, we feel a sense of dejectedness.
Instrumental break
No Lyrics
I want to cry my heart out.
I wish to shed tears with passion.
Want my baby back to me.
I yearn to have my lover by my side once again.
Got nothing but time to step out.
I have an abundance of time to spare.
But time means nothing to me.
However, time lacks any real significance to me.
If you hear me, please come back real soon.
If you happen to hear me, please come back to me soon.
'Cause the clock and I are so lonely in this room.
As the clock and I are all by ourselves in the empty space, we feel a sense of dejectedness.
Writer(s): D. J. Mattis, David J. Mattis Copyright: David J. Mattis, Duchess Music Corp.
Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lynn Walker
This song captures the essence of lonely in a haunting way ... Johnny Ace was a master and needs to be remembered.
Who Dat Superbowl Queen
I agree 100%!
Rock Ofages
I agree with you. Not many pe0ple know these great s0ng . This man should be truly rembered
Alfreda Simmons
I been looking for this song for years! My Dad used to play it when I was a little girl. He loved it...now so do I...Miss you, Daddy💃💃💃😘😘❤❤
raul macias
What a major loss to the world of Rhythm And Blues on December 25,1954.
I sometimes wonder, what direction Johnny Ace's music would have taken if not for his untimely death.
Only the Lord knows, but we are so fortunate to be here, in this time, to enjoy this very talented man's soulful, wonderful voice and Piano playing.
R.I.P. JOHN MARSHALL "JOHNNY ACE" ALEXANDER JR.
Jon Bryan
Such a lonely sound but a masterpiece
Curtis Neilson
Most younger people never heard of the great Johnny Ace
Harry
I have now thanks to David Allen coe
S. Rose Smith
My Mom's music. I was a little girl and remember her playing this music. I thought it was sad but today I appreciate it.
Howard Fagan
One of the greatest singers of all time. A true genius! In his short life, he won all the awards of his day. He tragically died from Russian roulette at this time of the year.. But he will never be forgotten.