Buddy Ace

Over a span of four decades dedicated to touring and recording, blues balladeer Buddy Ace earned the nickname "The Silver Fox of the Blues." He entered the world in Jasper, TX, on November 11, 1936, and spent his formative years in nearby Houston, where Lou Rawls, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Ivory Joe Hunter shaped his developing style. Early performances took place in gospel ensembles that sometimes included fellow singer Joe Tex, before Ace redirected his energies toward blues and R&B in the early '50s. That shift led to tours alongside the Bland and Junior Parker bands, culminating in a 1955 recording contract with Duke/Peacock Records. Several R&B hits followed in the mid-'60s, among them "Nothing in the World Can Hurt Me (Except You)" and "Hold On (To This Fool)." After moving first to Los Angeles in 1970 and then to Oakland, he concentrated his live work in the Bay Area for much of that era. Performances and recordings persisted into the '90s, yielding the albums Don't Hurt No More and Silver Fox in 1994. Ace died in Waco, TX, on December 26, 1994.