Biography
Born Valdene Dixon in Jamaica, West Indies, the artist launched his recording efforts alongside producer Joe Gibbs during the closing years of the 1960s. Those early sessions yielded scant output, limited to a lone track titled “Seeing Is Believing” that surfaced on Gibbs’s Amalgamated imprint in both the UK and Jamaica. Greater visibility arrived once he began working under the name Charlie Ace with Lee Perry, issuing a series of bawdy toasts that encompassed joint efforts with the exotic Fay. Standout collaborative singles encompassed “Mr Whitaker,” “Punany,” and an answer record billed as “the official reggae version” of “Big Seven,” aimed at Judge Dread’s chart-topping pop tune. Additional work outside the Perry camp included “Book Of Books” for Phil Pratt and “Creation Version” for Sonia Pottinger; meanwhile, sessions with Alvin “GG” Ranglin produced “Hot Number” and “Lover’s Affair Version.” Although he never ranked alongside figures such as U-Roy or Big Youth, Ace contributed to the landmark Upsetters cut “Cow Thief Skank,” again paired with Lee Perry. The single topped the reggae charts, yet further titles drawn from the same period failed to replicate its impact. Additional releases comprised “Do Something” and “The Creeper,” while a partnership with the Inswings yielded “Hot Butter Dub.” After his deejay years, Dixon repurposed a Morris 1000 van into the roaming “Swing A Ling” record shop, ferrying current pressings through the streets of Kingston. The enterprise received regular coverage in Jamaican tourist publications and figured in the Channel 4 documentary Deep Roots Music.