Johnny Ace and the Peak of the Chitlin Circuit

His success while alive was only matched by his music’s success and influence after his death. His music represented the authenticity of the Chitlin’ circuit yet had a crossover appeal that allowed it to reach the pop charts.

He’s had countless songs dedicated to him and even more rappers and musicians take pictures copying his “gun to the head” imagery that he was known for doing backstage that ultimately resulted in his death. Even the “death at the hands of the record label” conspiracies that appear any time a young artist loses their life seem to have started with his untimely death. “No artist more poignantly signified the rise of the record than Johnny Ace.

He was worth more dead, a ghost voice on black vinyl, than in than in the flesth as a touring artist” chitlin, pg240 The man that would become known as rock n rolls first tragedy is one of those few artists that has had an impact over several generations and left unrecognized.

Johnny Ace was born on 6/9/29 in Memphis, TN as Johnny Alexander Jr. and would be the 10th child in his family. He’d learn to play the blues piano as youth and become good enough to become a regular musician on the burgeoning Beale Street with other future legendary musicians such as B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland. These three and several other others were a group of regular musicians would become known as “The Beale Streeters”.

When performers came to Memphis and needed a musician The Beale streeters would be there with someone to fill the role for the for the night. Most of these nightly bookings would come through their connectgion to sunbeam mitchel. His hotel would serve as a headquarters/living space for the musical collective. Johnny would play piano on several Beale streeter recordings for Duke Records, until he transitioned to lead singer when MAttis tweaked the lyrics and recorded an impromptu version of Ruth Brown’s hit “So Long” which ultimately resulted in the hit single “My song”.
Johnny wasn’t the best singer, but the crooning came from the heart.

“You could go down the block and find 10 boys who could sing better than Johnny, but he had a certain something” (pg 225) Everlyn Johnson was quoted saying “ “My song” would be one of the precursors to rocknroll.

With a hit song and the business savvy don robey using his connections and sharp business acumen to navigate the chitlin circuit and deeper waters of the music business they pushed the song and catapulted Johnny to stardom. The whirlwind of money, alcohol and women kept johnny on the road living the rock star lifestyle. Johnny would keep a gun on him at all times. And as they traveled between cities he would shoot at the road signs and would play with the gun before shows.

Backstage Johnny would spin the barrel and with a flick of the wrist he’d snap it into place, put the barrel to the side of his head and pull the trigger. The load snap of the gun would cause people backstage to scream, gasp and sometimes drop their drinks as Johnny cracked a smile then started laughing. “I know when it’s loaded” johnny woud say between laughs as took another sip of alcohol.

The live shows increased radio play and fed teh demand for more live bookings and promoted the record sales so Robey kept Johnny on the road whiley Robey and his team maximized every opportunity. My song would top the R&B charts for 9 weeks and Over the next 2 years duke records would record and release “Cross My Heart”, “Please Forgive Me”, “The Clock”, “Yes, Baby”, “Saving My Love for You” and “Never Let Me Go”. Other acts Robey’s duke peacock label such as Big Mama Thornton would open for Johnny and fuel their own live bookings and record sales. “As a booking agent, I had 5 groups I taggered them out and put the best out first, a mediocre one second, a [strong] one out 3rd — these are single engagements on the same circuit, the chitlin circuit.

[Promoters would] buy the first because they def wanted them, they buy the 2nd because they want the 3rd they buy the 4th because they are waiting on the 5th. I kept them going. We got a rotation foing where [we’d book the acts] where deejays are playing their records, and one hand scratches the other” (pg. 237).

Johnny Ace would eventually meet his fate when he shot himself in the head before a performance on Christmass day. As Johnny’s fame grew he developed a habit of spinning his empty revolver cylinder, snapping it into place and then cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger with the muzzle pressed against his temple. This pose has been duplicated by countless rappers over the years On Christmas day 1954, Johnny was playing with his pistol before going on stage. He spun the barrel, snapped into place and this time he pointed it at his girlfriend pulling the trigger with a loud click. Everyone yelled for him to stop.

He said not to worry b/c the gun wouldn’t shoot as he placed the muzzle against his right temple, pulled the trigger and blew a penny size hole through his head. His body crashed to the floor among some empty whiskey bottles with a smile on his face as a pool of blood began to surround his body. The room cleared and Johnny Ace was dead at the young age of 25.

Rumors would circulate through the underworld that johnny’s sales were beginning to slip and Robey had paid fledgling artist big mama thornton to slip bullet into the empty .22 that Johnny played with, but does’t hold up to any scrutiny considering she couldn’t’ be sure that Johnny would aim the gun at himself before harming an innocent bystander. This conspiracy most likely evolved from the fact that Robey took full advantage of the death of his star artist. He orgranized a big funeral in memphis and hired a news crew to photograph and write about teh service for publication across the negro press.

“Robey profitted handsomely from Aces death… He flew into action, hiring Memphis photographer ernest Withers… All major blak pereos covered the story…robey poled for the largest possible emh venue to host johnny’s last rites… estimated 5000 mourners” (chitlin, pg 239).

“While the ace story received immediate, maximum exposure across black america, white consumers too were taken with the tragic tale. They bought his records and heard the fragile, doomed voice. “ (chitling, pg. 240). A devoted teen in Florida died by Russian roulette in a misguided imitation of the hero.

“Pledging my love” would reach #1 on Billboard r&b, but Robey wanted crossover success and offered up half of the publishing revenue with Wemar music if they could get a white pop act to cover the song. The were able to get Teresa Brewer to cover the song which resulted in Johnnye’s version to reach №17 while Brewer’s simultaneously charted at №30.

“Dead Johnny on record accomplished a feat that live johnny on stage ouldnt’ have pulled off” (chitlin, pg 240).
Johnny Ace’s tragic success marked the beginning of crossover appeal for black artist that less than a generation before had been relegated to strictly performing on the chitlen circuit.