Johnny Vincent

Ace Records emerged as one of the trailblazing labels in New Orleans R&B under the guidance of its founder Johnny Vincent. Born John Vincent Imbruglio on October 3, 1927, in Hattiesburg, MS, he began generating spare change during his teenage years by reselling used jukebox records discarded from his parents' restaurant at five cents each. What started modestly became a full-time enterprise by the mid-1940s, encompassing service for 28 machines scattered across the area.

Particular demand existed for what were termed "race records," largely because few stations offered them airplay. By 1946 Vincent handled sales for the William B. Allen Supply Company, covering the Deep South while scouting fresh talent at roadside venues and cultivating ties with local radio DJs. He acquired the Jackson, MS-based Griffin Distributing Company in 1949, which maintained strong sales throughout the state by stocking releases from most independent R&B imprints. Vincent absorbed the music thoroughly, demonstrating an exceptional ability to predict which singles would resonate and to determine precise order quantities accordingly.

His own short-lived Champion label appeared in 1952. The initial artist he approached, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, remained bound to RCA Victor, so the Champion single "My Baby Boogies All the Time" appeared under the pseudonym Arthur Blues Crump. Growing recognition led Art Rupe, head of the Los Angeles-based Specialty label, to engage Vincent for A&R, distribution, and promotion duties. Artists he signed or produced for Specialty included the Soul Stirrers (the platform that introduced Sam Cooke), John Lee Hooker, Earl King, Reverend C.L. Franklin, Guitar Slim, and Wynona Carr. Termination followed in 1954; Vincent later stated that Specialty's success prompted Rupe to discontinue royalty payments. He then moved to New Orleans and established Ace in 1955.

Its debut release, "Shuckin' Stuff," came from local singer Al Collins under the production of Cosimo Matassa at J&M Studio. Pianist Eddie Bo joined next, issuing "Baby" as his Ace introduction. Early roster members also encompassed country performers Lou Millet and Jimmy & Jack alongside Cajun artist Al Terry. The label's eighth record, Elmore James' "Dust My Broom," had originally appeared on Trumpet in 1951 and marked its strongest offering to that point.

Catalog number 509 finally delivered Ace's initial chart success with Earl King's "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights." Keys were supplied by the then-unknown Huey "Piano" Smith, and the track extended beyond King's standard 12-bar blues framework toward what would become the southern Louisiana "swamp pop" style. Vincent released eight King singles on Ace overall and created the alias Handsome Earl for additional material issued on the Vin subsidiary. Smith and his group the Clowns soon achieved major status, reaching number 52 on the national pop charts in mid-1957 via the classic "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu." Subsequent nationwide successes such as "Don't You Just Know It" and "Don't You Know Yockomo" followed. Vincent reinvested the proceeds, bringing aboard acts including Joe Tex, Lightnin' Hopkins, Amos Milburn, and Charles Brown, whose "Please Sing My Blues Tonight" featured the young Mac Rebennack (later renowned as New Orleans legend Dr. John) on guitar. Ace also took on distribution for other independents such as KRC and Rex. By 1958 the roster had grown diverse enough to accommodate doo wop groups like the Champions, the Ascots, and the Silhouettes, the last of whom scored a substantial hit with their version of "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman."

During the late '50s Jimmy Clanton stood as Ace's premier attraction. Starting with 1958's "Just a Dream," which attained the number four position on the national pop charts, he produced nine charting singles before the decade ended. Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise," however, remains perhaps the label's most lasting pop achievement. Matassa constructed it by layering Ford's vocal over a Huey Smith demo, placing the finished track just outside the national Top Ten in early 1959. This increasing focus on white pop performers caused early signings such as Smith and King to move to rival Imperial. Compounding the difficulties, a 1962 promotion and distribution agreement with Vee-Jay (initially promising after Clanton's "Venus in Blue Jeans" reached the Top Ten) collapsed when Vee-Jay filed for bankruptcy, obligating Vincent to cover roughly $650,000 owed to distributors. Ace never rebounded and eventually declared its own bankruptcy, though Vincent attempted revivals of the imprint twice during the early '70s and once more in 1990. The Ace masters now belong to the U.K. label Westside. Vincent passed away February 4, 2000, at age 72 from a heart ailment.