Thursday, June 09, 2011

Happy Life Affirmation Day Johnny Ace! The First Rock-N-Roll Star & Casualty & Booker T. Washington High School's (Memphis,TN) Most Famous Dropout

Tha Artivist Remembers The Late Great Johnny Ace Part 1 

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Tha Artivist Remembers The Late Great Johnny Ace Part 2: Interview With Dr. James Salem

  

http://blip.tv/we-all-be-tv/the-late-great-johnny-ace-5264499



 
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Tha Artivist Remembers The Late Great Johnny Ace Part 3 


Happy Life Affirmation Day Johnny Ace! The First Rock-N-Roll Star & Casualty & Booker T. Washington High School's (Memphis,TN) Most Famous Dropout...
Johnny Ace (Sunrise 6/9/1929-Sunset 12/25/1954) Was Arguably The First Rock & Roll Star In History…


He Was Born John Marshall Alexander, One Of 11 Children, Son Of A Preacher Man & Raised In The Black Church…Although He Was Brought Up In A Strict & Religious Household He Nevertheless Dropped Out Of Booker T. Washington High School & Joined The Navy Eventually Getting Dishonorably Discharged (Johnny Was More Of A Lover Than A Soldier)…However, Johnny Ace Was Made On Beale Street… 

He Sang & Played Piano For The Blues Supergroup The Beale Streeters Which At One Point Included Such Luminaries & Future Icons Such As B.B. King, Bobby ‘Blue’ Band, Earl Forest  & Rosco Gordon…The Beale Streeters  Were The Blues Version Of The Hip Hop Group Wu Tang Clan, Or The NBA’s Big 3 In Miami  AKA LeBron James, Chris Bosh, & Dwyane Wade…

Johnny Ace Was The Major Headline Act & Biggest Seller For The Legendary (Some May Add Infamous) Don Robey’s Duke Records…He Was Rock’s First Superstar & The Top R & B Act In the Country…With His Silky Smooth Voice & Matinee Idol Looks, Johnny Ace Was The Heartthrob Of Young Black Females Everywhere… He Became So Famous And In Demand That Clubs & Other Venues Had To Book B.B. King & Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland As His Opening Acts In Order to Get Johnny Ace As The Main Event!!!


 
Unfortunately, Johnny Ace Took His Life By Accident While Playing With His Gun Backstage During A 5 Minute Break Between Performances At City Auditorium In Houston On Christmas Night 1954…Allegedly He Pointed His Gun First At His Girlfriend’s Head, Olivia Gibbs,  Who Was Sitting On His Lap Pulling The Trigger With No Bullet Discharging…He Then Pointed The Gun At His Own Head Thinking It Was Empty…Needless To Say It Wasn’t… 

To This Day There Is Still Debate On Whether Johnny’s Death Was Accidental Or Involved Foul Play…
His Funeral Was January 2, 1955, @  Clayborn Temple AME In Memphis, TN, With An Estimated 5,000 People In Attendance…He Is Buried In New Park Memorial Cemetery In South Memphis…His Biggest Hit Came Posthumously, “Pledging My Love”, Which Went No. 1 On The Billboard R & B Charts & Stayed On Top Of The Charts For 10 Weeks Starting February 12,1955...Johnny Ace Was Literally No. 1 With A Bullet…Ironically “Pledging My Love” Was Also The Last Song Another Famous Rock Balladeer & Memphis Musician Recorded, Elvis Aaron Presley…


 
It Was Normal Practice For White Artists To Cover Music Hits Made By Black Artists For White America’s Consumption (Think Pat Boone’s Version Of Little Richard’s “Tutti Fruitti”)…However, Ace’s “Pledging My Love” Became So Popular Among Whiter Teenagers That It Created Demand For ‘The Real Deal’…It Was A Crossover Sensation And So Johnny Ace’s Bittersweet Success Made It Possible For Folks Like Ray Charles, Sam Cooke,  Jackie Wilson & Others To Have Even More Access To A Mainstream Read White Audience & More Success In Crossover Terms…

Johnny Ace With 21 Songs & Only A 18 Month Career Laid The Foundation For The Things To Come But For The Most Part His Unique Legacy Seems To Have Laid Almost Forgotten Among The Margins & Weeded Fields Of American Music History…However, That Is All Beginning To Change…

Brother Of Music Great Johnny Ace Used As A Guinea Pig By The U.S. Military, Owed $75,000…


*W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Special*
Topic: Pledging Our Love...The Ultimate Johnny Ace Tribute

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