The Journeymen

The spring of 1955 brought high billboard charting to Johnny Ace’s song, which became a #1 hit, Pledging My Love, his eighth #1 Billboard hit in R&B. In the spring following Ace’s passing, his songs weren’t only charting at the top of R&B charts, they were also crossing over into the charts of Pop music as well. With the record label’s next move to release the next of The Duke’s Record LP, their first long-play and 33-speed...

Johnny Ace’s song, which became a #1 hit, Pledging My Love, his eighth #1 Billboard hit in R&B. Billboard Magazine was just starting an R&B section for the new year, right after the death of Johnny Ace. The section measured record sales and jukebox plays and included buying the single Pledging My Love as the best buy for the week. Unfortunately, since the news industry ran at a slower pace, not everyone knew about Ac...

In the days that followed, the press wrote about Ace’s death. Broadcast in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, the day after Christmas, Johnny’s death was heart-wrenching. Having been booked through the winter holidays and the months that followed, his band and Evelyn Johnson, his booking agent, had to move forward and cancel all future shows. To her surprise, many of the venues asked Evelyn to send the band, regardless of whether ...

Moving on in the next segment of our Johnny Ace story, we jump into a deep dive into his interesting life. It’s the mid-to-late 1950s at this point in our story, and Johnny is out on the road in Florida at a pawn shop, in a situation that would turn out to be a pivotal point in his life.

On the Road in Florida with a Gun

While on the road in Florida, Johnny decides to purchase a Herrinton & Richardson Model Six, double-action, ...

In this episode, we are at The Insanery in Music City, USA talking more about Johnny Ace and his band, along with the “new technology” of the 45 records, how records create sound from those tiny grooves, and how the 45 record industry played into music production as we chat about the history and music labels Johnny Ace signed during his music career. We also talk about the history of music technology and how the portability ...

Moving into the mid-career life of Johnny Ace, there is more success for both him and Don Robey, who now orchestrated more collaboration with Big Mama Thornton. However, Don had not openly fused both artists on a song.

With the success of Johnny came neglect of his family members whom he cut off from. This largely seemed intentional, although it may have also been a fallout of his adaptation to his musical success.

In this conversa...

Taking another stride, our story moves on to Willie Mae Thornton a. k. a Big Mama Thornton, who would rise to fame after getting signed to Don Robey's record while working at his club.

Here, her interaction with Johnny Ace and the Johnny Otis band would set her up for success despite her rather crude musical personality which she intentionally held on to, making her more of an acquired taste.

In this part of the series, Michael T. ...

The Post World War II Rhythm and Blues Scene

Robi was a thug, but he knew how money worked. With an end-to-end music business, he knew what worked in the industry. He understood Johnny Ace had potential, so he outfitted him with new clothes and a new haircut. Knowing there was work to be done, Robi’s wife Evelyn was the force behind the brand and had the hustle needed to make Robi’s music agency work. In this episode, we’ll explore...

Outselling the likes of B. B King, Fats Domino, and Joe Turner, it is surprising how much Johnny remained in the blind spot of musical history.

This success, while bringing in a grossly sizable amount of profit for Don Robey, drew out much of his greed keeping all the profits and forcing out his silent partner, Mattis, with a pittance.

Moving forward with this series, Michael T. Davis, Casey Wood, and Seth West detail more of the s...

Johnny's career moved forward working with both Don Robey and James Mattis, however, following the sale of Duke records, Robey had a rather undefined partnership with Mattis which would play a role in Johnny's music with the Beale Streeters.

Still, with no musical skill but undeniably an ear for music and the ability to push it to gain results, Robey was able to release 2 hits back-to-back. Nonetheless, this would not negate the su...

Despite playing with the greatest R&B stars, Johnny Ace's story had started much more quietly in Beale Street, the black center of culture, down in Memphis which shares a history with the likes of Elvis.

Johnny's career kicked off with the Beale Streeters, and James Mattis of Duke records who had his fair share of problems even with his success.

In this second part of the series, join Michael T. Davis, Casey Wood, and Seth West...

Inching further down the story reveals the history behind Don Robey before he met Mattis while trying to acquire Duke Records, all with the intention to work with Johnny Ace.

Despite a history of illegal dealings and lack of musical skill, Robey had started to build his music empire when he realized how profitable the business of music could be.

In this part of the series, Michael T. Davis, Casey Wood, and Seth West continue the di...

He is the first true rock-and-roller to live fast and die young. It’s been argued that he’s been in contention for the very first rock and roll record: one that smashed the color barrier and brought R&B to a young white audience ready to fill their postwar lust-filled teenage dreams.

He has played alongside the biggest R&B stars of his time, had a string of number one hits, and was seen as an icon even by giants such as Bob...