Johnny Ace Auditorium in Houston, Texas, on Christmas Day 1954. During a break between sets, he was playing with a .32-caliber revolver. Members of his band said he did this often, sometimes shooting at roadside signs from their car. It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. However, Big Mama Thornton's bass player, Curtis Tillman, who witnessed the event, said, "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
The Late Great Johnny Ace he should ever do the song again. However, he ended up finishing the song when the show returned from commercial. Simon performed the song again on "Saturday Night Live" on November 22, 1986, the 23rd anniversary of the JFK assassination (the performance opened with a still shot of JFK to mark the occasion.) He also performed the song in 2000 in Paris for a filmed concert to promote his album "You're the One". Simon first performed the Johnny Ace classic, Pledging My Love before launching into his song. The Late Great Johnny Ace "The Late Great Johnny Ace" is a