45 HORSEPOWER 07/10/23: Ace Records (1955-64) Mississippi Blues and New Orleans R&B

Following up on the AFO Records feature from early this summer, Rounder begins a multi-part series charting the golden age of independent recording in New Orleans, when rhythm and blues was in a period of reinvention and possibility. This week, we start with Johnny Vincent's Ace Records. Though it soon became the earliest independent record label to base itself out of New Orleans, Ace Records began as a blues label, putting out recordings from Lightnin' Slim, Lightnin' Hopkins, Frankie Lee Sims, and wild man/drummer Mercy Baby. Soon enough, Ace began to work with New Orleans talent like Earl King, Huey "Piano Smith" and His Clowns, and Eddie Bo, scoring some all-time hits before making a doomed "commercial turn" and going pop with teen idol Jimmy Clanton.