Mississippi Blues Trail Series – Ace Records in Jackson, Mississippi
By Deborah Chatham
Photos by Stephen Anderson
Edited by Johnny Cole
The Southland Music Line continues our Mississippi Blues Trail Series at the marker recognizing Ace Records located at 207 W. Capitol St. in Jackson, Mississippi.
Nestled about halfway between the iconic Mayflower Café and the historic King Edward Hotel (now the Hilton Garden Inn) is the site of the former Ace Records. Located in the black business district, Ace Records was founded in 1955 by John Vincent Imbraguglio, who became known as simply Johnny Vincent. Johnny grew up in Laurel, Mississippi listening to blues music on a jukebox in his parents’ restaurant. From this early exposure, he was naturally drawn to starting a jukebox business and later became a sales representative for a New Orleans-based record distributor, thus cementing the Jackson – New Orleans blues connection. Vincent’s background as a blues fan and experience in sales and distribution led to a stint as a talent scout for Specialty Records in Los Angeles, CA. He was responsible for producing Greenwood native Eddie Jones, aka Guitar Slim, on “The Things I Used to Do.” Among the session musicians on this recording, a young Ray Charles played piano for what became one of the biggest R&B hits of the 1950s.
Although located in Mississippi, Ace Records became the first regional label to record national hits by New Orleans artists such as Frankie Ford (“Sea Cruise”) and Jimmy Clanton (“Just a Dream”). Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Ace Records used Jackson-based Trumpet Records and Cosimo Matassa Studio in New Orleans to record successful blues artists. Included in this esteemed group were James Booker, Charles Brown, Joe Dyson, Joe Tex, and Mac Rebennack, who we now recognize as Dr. John. Huey “Piano” Smith & His Clowns were considered the most famous artists at Ace Records with their recording of “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu.”
Top two photos: Mississippi Blues Trail marker recognizing Ace Records located at 207 W. Capitol St. in Jackson, MS.
In 1962, Ace Records was set to have a lucrative distribution deal with Vee-Jay Records in Chicago. The unexpected bankruptcy of Vee-Jay Records proved to be devastating for Ace Records. Although Vincent did experience a modest resurgence of success in the 1970s by repackaging old hits, he never experienced the earlier success of Ace Records. He made a serious push in the 1990s to establish Ace Records as a haven for contemporary, Mississippi soul-blues artists such as Cicero Blake, J. T. Watts, and Willie Clayton.
By the last nineties, Ace Records had long ago experienced its heyday and Vincent sold the company to a British group, which has retained the rights to Ace recordings and still publishes R&B music under the Ace label. Sadly, Mr. Johnny Vincent passed away three years following this sale.
The reverse side of marker recognizing Ace Records at at 207 W. Capitol St. in Jackson, MS.
The reverse side of marker recognizing Ace Records at at 207 W. Capitol St. in Jackson, MS.
Huey “Piano” Smith & His Clowns’ recording of “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu”
Ace Records became the first regional label to record national hits by New Orleans artists such as Frankie Ford (“Sea Cruise”)
Click Here for Other Articles in our Mississippi Blues Trail Series.
References:
1. Knipp, Hallie. “Ace Records Marker.” Clio: Your Guide to History. April 1, 2021. Accessed January 24, 2023.
2. Mississippi Blues Trail official website.
3. Mississippi Encyclopedia official website.
Page Designed & Edited by Johnny Cole
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