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We welcome you to the Ace podcast, lovingly presided over for us by journalist, record collector and broadcaster Pete Paphides. This occasional series will feature interviews with guests from many branches of the extended Ace family, detailing their own careers, the artists that have influenced their lives and the records that they love, all enjoyably explored over two microphones and plenty of cups of tea.

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ROCK ON ~ BIRTH OF AN EMPIRE
1971-74

“Rock’n’Roll
I get my records at the Rock On stall,
Rock’n’Roll
Teddy boy he’s got them all”

So sang Phil Lynott on Thin Lizzy’s 1973 single, ‘The Rocker’, and he was not the only rock star cruising down to Ted Carroll’s Rock On stall in a flea market at 93 Golborne Road, off Portobello Road. Ted had been selling the coolest wax in town there since 1971, with Elvis wallpaper behind him and squeezed into a space barely bigger than a phone box. Oldies were Ted’s sideline, actually. His main business was co-managing Thin Lizzy.

THE EVOLUTION OF ACE REISSUES

1978

When Chiswick was licensed to EMI in 1978, they made it clear that they had enough back catalogue of their own, thank you. So, we needed a new label name for the reissue end. Just before signing on with EMI, Johnny Vincent of Ace Records in Jackson, Mississippi signed on with us. Without any malice aforethought we promptly borrowed his label name, though he was cool about it at the time.

We maintained a dynamic on-off working relationship with him, using the old-style record business trick of continually fronting him cash then chasing the recoupment with some more releases. The five volumes of “The Ace Story” we put out remain definitive.

Ray Topping, a regular customer of Ted’s who had helped pen the notes for the Link Wray album, suggested we explore the Houston-based group of labels owned by Pappy Daily. Ray was one of the small group of pioneering blues aficionados and discographers in the UK who had been instrumental in bringing that music to a wider audience in the 60s. He became Ace’s first repertoire consultant. With an encyclopaedic knowledge and tremendous feel for blues and R&B as well as rockabilly and country, he was an essential element in the growth of Ace. The standards he set way back then have underpinned everything the label has since done.

So in 1978 a licensing deal was signed with Daily, who produced the early George Jones recordings and trawled the Gulf Coast areas of South Louisiana and East Texas to acquire recordings for his D, Dart, Dixie and Starday labels. Ted and Ray headed out west to Texas in search of musical gold; the first of many trips to the US in search of masters. We issued a compilation of fine rockabilly sides from George Jones and a 10” comp of Sonny Fisher’s Starday recordings, which even then fetched big bucks on original 45s. Ted and Ray tracked down Sonny and in 1980 he left the States for the first time in his life and toured the UK. He also cut an EP of new material for Ace on his visit.

Discovery of the year: the previously unissued monster rockabilly side ‘Jitterbop Baby’ by Hal Harris.

1979

To accommodate catalogue records that didn’t fit on Ace and new recordings deemed to have insufficient commercial appeal for EMI, we set up another label, BIG BEAT. It debuted with the debut 45 by Johnny (Winter) and the Jammers. Later it became home to the burgeoning psychobilly/garage scene, our own punk and rock back catalogue and repository for all things 60s beat, folk, garage and psych.

The Ace reissue 45s just kept coming as well, notably Thumper (George) Jones’ ‘Rock It’ and Link Davis’ ‘Allons A Lafayette’, a real swingin’ in-house favourite and a solid smash in any other universe. Having acquired something of a jones for the deliciousness of 10” records, we put out a couple more. But, because Chiswick through EMI took up so much of our time, catalogue issues took a back seat to the pop end of our business.

1993

Harold Battiste’s productions ran the gamut from ‘I Got You Babe’ by Sonny and Cher to Dr John’s “Gris Gris” LP. It was the latter aspect of Battiste’s talents that he brought to the label we licensed his New Orleans-based AFO (All For One) Records. This was deep, deep Crescent City, with early and many previously unreleased sides from Mac Rebennack, Dr John, Prince La La, Nookie Boy and soul chanteuse Tammi Lynn. The series title, “Gumbo Stew”, was as apt as could be. We also issued a jazz piano album by Ellis Marsalis, father of Wynton. 

2003

By now we had accumulated a vast catalogue of Stax releases and thoroughly mined the vaults for rare and unissued sides. It was fitting then that there would be a works outing to join in the celebrations for the reopening of the reconstructed original McLemore Avenue building as a museum. Alec, Dean, Tony and Roger experienced a remarkable week of music and events as Stax’s indomitable Deanie Parker put on a series of shows. The culmination was an extravaganza at the grand Orpheum Theater, with performances by Stax artists Isaac Hayes, Booker T & The MGs, Mavis Staples, William Bell, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, the Bar-Kays, Little Milton, Jean Knight, the Soul Children and Mack Rice - though, by common consensus, the show was stolen by Rance Allen. Others paying tribute to the label were Al Green and Solomon Burke. There were other shows featuring the Mad Lads, Big Star and a highly emotional Linda Lyndell.