Pledging My Love, The Song That Changed Pop Music History 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… #R2c2h2Says youtube/watch?v=AT_eOiTwtoQ
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:19:59 +0000
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