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
Johnny Ace introducing the song with his own recollections of hearing the news of Ace's death. Ace is mentioned in "House Band in Hell", by Root Boy Slim, and in the song "Johnny Ace", by Dash Rip Rock. "Pledging My Love" was used in the 1973 film "Mean Streets", directed by Martin Scorsese; the 1983 film "Christine", directed by John Carpenter; the 1985 film "Back to the Future", directed by Robert Zemeckis; and the 1992 film "Bad Lieutenant", directed by Abel Ferrara. The Teen Queens' song "Eddie My Love", originally entitled "Johnny My Love", was written in memory of Ace. The Swiss