Don’t Fear the Reaper: Homicides, Suicides, and a Bad Moon Rising
Ace, Johnny City Auditorium 615 Louisiana Street Houston, Texas Johnny Ace was a promising black R&B singer in the early 1950s. During his short career, Ace recorded several other hit “heart ballads” including “Pledging My Love,” “Cross My Heart,” “The Clock,” “Saving My Love For You,” and “Please Forgive Me.” He accidentally shot and killed himself while playing Russian roulette backstage on Christmas Day 1954. His last words, to Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, were: “I’ll show you that it won’t shoot.” Ace’s recordings continued to gain popularity after his death, and he was immortalized in the song “The Late Great Johnny Ace” by Paul Simon. Demolished in the summer of 1963, City Auditorium is now the site of another popular theater, Jones Hall.
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