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 Gardner Johnny Gardner Johnny Gardner (c. 1882 – c. 1953) was a notorious gangster and professional bank robber commonly known as "Dressed-up Johnny", whom the police described as the "ace of the safe crackers". He was born on August 26, 1882 and was a native of Zanesville, Ohio. He had spent time in the Ohio State Prison at Columbus and the Illinois State Prison at Joliet. Johnny Gardner was described as a "notorious character" and a "gangster of the worst kind". Gardner and his gang began terrorizing southern Illinois from 1919 to 1922, robbing banks and post offices across the country.