Research Catalog

The late, great Johnny Ace and the transition from R&B to rock 'n' roll

Title
The late, great Johnny Ace and the transition from R&B to rock 'n' roll / James M. Salem.
Author
Salem, James M.
Publication
Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [1999], ©1999.

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Details

Description
xi, 274 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 24 cm.
Summary
  • If Elvis Presley was a white man who sang in a predominantly black style, Johnny Ace was a black man who sang in a predominantly white one. His soft, crooning "heart ballads" took the black record-buying public by storm in the early 1950s, and he was the first postwar solo black male rhythm and blues star signed to an independent label to attract a white audience.
  • His biggest hit, "Pledging My Love," was at the top of the R&B charts when he died playing Russian roulette in his dressing room between sets at a packed "Negro Christmas dance" in Houston.
  • This first comprehensive treatment of an enigmatic, captivating, and influential performer takes the reader to Beale Street in Memphis and to Houston's Fourth Ward, both vibrant black communities where the music never stopped. Following key players in these two hotspots, James Salem constructs a multifaceted portrait of postwar rhythm and blues, when American popular music (and society) was still clearly segregated.
Series Statement
Music in American life
Uniform Title
Music in American life.
Subjects
Bibliography (note)
  • Discography: p. 202-210.
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-253) and index.
Contents
1. Memphis: Chained in the Backyard -- 2. Beale Street: Five Dollars a Night and All the Chili You Can Eat -- 3. Signing Your Mama Away: A Name from the Devil's Game -- 4. Las Vegas in Houston: The Bronze Peacock -- 5. Heart Ballads -- 6. Potent Wax: Johnny Ace's Mid-Era Hits -- 7. Dirty Talk and One-Night Stands -- 8. Silent Night, Deadly Night -- 9. Life after Death -- 10. "Pledging My Love" -- 11. Imitations of Love -- 12. Ace of Hearts.
ISBN
0252024443 (cloth)
LCCN
98025477
OCLC
ocm39539401
Owning Institutions
Columbia University Libraries