Ace Records (United States)
Independent label that launched classic rock and R&B hits.
Ace Records was an American record label founded in August 1955 in Jackson, Mississippi, by Johnny Vincent. It operated as an independent label with subsidiaries Teem Records and Vin label, and recorded notable artists in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and early soul music. The label ceased operations in the early 1960s (around 1963) due to financial difficulties, not directly because Vee-Jay Records went out of business; Vee-Jay went bankrupt in 1966, after Ace had already stopped releasing new records. The Ace Records name was revived in the UK in the 1970s by different owners, not by Johnny Vincent, and Demon Music Group later acquired the UK Ace Records catalog, not the US label.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1955
- Founder
- Johnny Vincent
- Parent
- Demon Music Group
- Defunct
- 1997
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Ace recorded a roster of influential artists including Earl King, Frankie Ford, Jimmy Clanton, Huey 'Piano' Smith, Joe Tex, Scotty McKay, and Bobby Marchan. Among its notable songs were 'Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu' (1957), 'Don't You Just Know It' (1958), 'Just a Dream' (1958), 'Sea Cruise' (1958), 'Go, Jimmy, Go' (1959), 'Gee Baby' (1959–1960), 'Pop-Eye' (1962), and 'Venus in Blue Jeans' (1962). The label received a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail.
Reader's Guide
Ace Records played a significant role in the development of rock and roll and rhythm and blues in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in the Southern United States. Its catalog includes enduring hits that helped define the New Orleans sound, such as 'Sea Cruise' and 'Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.' The label's reliance on independent distribution and its later partnership with Vee-Jay Records illustrate the challenges faced by small independent labels in a rapidly changing music industry. The label's relaunch in 1971 and eventual sale to a UK company in 1997 show its lasting appeal. The Mississippi Blues Trail marker acknowledges its historical importance in the region's musical heritage.
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