December 25, 1954: Johnny Ace dies, because somebody shouldn't have had access to a gun: Himself.
John Marshall Alexander Jr. was born on June 9, 1929 in Memphis. In 1951, Ike Turner, already a music-business veteran but still years away from meeting the woman who would become Tina, hired him to play piano on recording sessions for blues guitarist B.B. King. In 1952, now calling himself Johnny Ace, apparently after the vocal group The Four Aces, he began singing his own songs, mostly ballads.
By 1954, he was one of the biggest-selling singers in America, regardless of race or style. He had already recorded "Pledging My Love," and was booked for the City Auditorium in Houston on Christmas Day. Among the other performers booked for the show was Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, the 1st performer to record "Hound Dog." If you only know this song, by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, from Elvis Presley's version, you'll be surprised at how different it is. Nevertheless, she topped the rhythm & blues chart with it in 1953.
Between sets, Johnny was drinking with Big Mama and her band. Suddenly, he pulled out a .32 caliber revolver, and started playing with it. Thornton later told police that he pointed it at a few people, but didn't fire. But she also said, contrary to what was later reported, that it was not a game of "Russian roulette." Nor was it a suicide: Johnny had just bought a brand-new Oldsmobile, and was looking forward to driving it.
Curtis Tillman, Thornton's bass player, told what happened next:
I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking, and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table, and someone said, "Be careful with that thing!" And he said, "It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded! See?" And pointed it at himself with a smile on his face, and "Bang!" Sad, sad thing. Big Mama ran out of the dressing room yelling, "Johnny Ace just killed himself!"
Johnny Ace was only 25 years old, and was really just starting to become a star. Not surprisingly, "Pledging My Love" hit Number 1 on the R&B charts. But it also hit Number 17 on Billboard magazine's pop chart, making him the 1st performer to debut on it only after his death.
Some people consider Johnny Ace to be "the first dead rock star." His death came nearly 2 years after that of Hank Williams, who has also received that distinction. Neither man had really done rock and roll as that term would later be used, though. Maybe they would have.
In 1983, Paul Simon wrote and recorded "The Late Great Johnny Ace." It tells of a boy who had never known Johnny Ace was alive until he knew that he was dead, and became a fan of his. Years later, the song has the boy growing up to be a fan of 2 other "Johnny Aces" who died from gunshot wounds: John F. Kennedy and John Lennon.
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December 25, 1954 was a Saturday. In England, North London's Arsenal hosted West London's Chelsea at Highbury, and win 1-0 on a goal by former Everton star Tommy Lawton. But Chelsea went on to win the League title for the 1st time in their 50-year history. They did so the 1st man ever to win the League as both a non-managing player and a non-playing manager. And he's an Arsenal man: Ted Drake.
Four games were played in the NBA. The New York Knicks beat the Syracuse Nationals, 109-101 at the old Madison Square Garden. The Rochester Royals beat the Fort Wayne Pistons, 80-73 at the Edgerton Park Arena in Rochester. The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Hawks, 108-99 at the Milwaukee Exposition and Convention Center Arena, a.k.a. The MECCA. And the Minneapolis Lakers beat the Philadelphia Warriors, 99-91 at the Minneapolis Auditorium.
For the 1st time in 5 years, the entire NHL played on Christmas. The New York Rangers lost to the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1 at the Montreal Forum. The Boston Bruins and the Chicago Black Hawks played to a 3-3 tie at the Boston Garden. And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.