One-Hit Wonders: Johnny Ace And “Pledging My Love”
Johnny Ace - "Pledging My Love" (Duke, 1955)
Immortalized by Paul Simon in his song “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” John Marshall Alexander was a Founding Father of R&B who was also, sadly, just a One Hit Wonder. Let’s give another listen to his greatest cut, “Pledging My Love.”
As we noted in our profile back in April, Johnny Ace started his career as a piano player for Adolph Duncan.
While working with Duncan, he befriended Bobby Bland, whom he followed to Duke Records in 1952. That same year, he released his first single, “My Song,” which featured his warm, rich baritone.
Ace would never see his lone Top-40 hit, taking his life on Christmas night 1954, when he shot himself playing Russian roulette while backstage at the Houston Auditorium. His posthumously released classic, “Pledging My Love,” would hit #17 in March 1955.
Gone but not forgotten, at least not at WNEW, find more tales of One-Hit Wonders here …
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