An Introduction to Johnny Ace

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 Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Elvis Presley. When he died, millions of fans mourned him and his peers rushed to record tributes to him.

Despite all this, he remains virtually unknown today.

In the first part of this series on Johnny Ace, listen in as Michael T. Davis, Casey Wood, and Seth West sit down to discuss the upbringing and early career of the Memphis-born R&B legend.

In this episode, we talk about…

● [02:56] Johnny’s musical background up to the release of his first song My Song. We also break down the tricky atmosphere around race relations at the time and how the R&B genre as we know it came to be.

● [21:23] Johnny’s upbringing within the Alexander family and how Johnny discovered his love for music, largely based on the book The Late Great Johnny Ace and the Transition from R&B to Rock 'n' Roll, a biography by James M. Salem.

● [31:31] The wacky story behind Johnny’s arrest and his first time meeting BB King.