Ace Harris (Producer)
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Asa "Ace" Harris (April 1, 1910,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
– June 11, 1964,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
) was an American
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
pianist. Harris played in several territory bands in the 1930s, working with Billy Steward's Serenaders in 1932 and with Bill Mears's Sunset Royal Serenaders from 1935. In 1937 Harris took over leadership of the Sunset Royal Serenaders, and recorded with them that same year; he remained with the group until 1939. In 1940 Harris became Pianist for Bill Kenny &
The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American vocal pop group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style predated the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ...
replacing Bob Benson. Harris can be heard playing Piano with The Ink Spots on many Top 10 Pop hits including "
Whispering Grass "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The notion of "whispering grass" which reveals a person's secrets extends back to Greek mythology, notably the myth of Midas. The ...
", " Maybe", " We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)", " Java Jive", "
I'll Never Smile Again "I'll Never Smile Again" is a 1939 song which became a 1940 ''Billboard'' chart-topper by Tommy Dorsey written by Ruth Lowe. It has been recorded by many other artists since, becoming a jazz and pop standard. The most successful and best-know ...
", "I'd Climb The Highest Mountain", "
We'll Meet Again "We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, resonating with ...
", "Do I Worry", "
Until The Real Thing Comes Along "(It Will Have to Do) Until the Real Thing Comes Along" is a popular song first published in 1936. Background In 1931, Alberta Nichols wrote the music and Mann Holiner wrote the words for a song titled "Till the Real Thing Comes Along" which was ...
", "
I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" is a pop song written by Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler. Originally written in 1938, the song was first recorded three years later by Harlan Leonard and His Rockets. It was c ...
", "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat", "
It's A Sin To Tell A Lie "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" is a 1936 popular song written by Billy Mayhew, introduced early that year on records by many dance bands including Dick Robertson on the 78rpm record Champion 40106, and later popularized by Fats Waller on Victor 2534 ...
" and more. After Harris died in 1964, another Piano player named "Johnny Harris" toured with a group pretending to be The Ink Spots. This other "Johnny Harris" pretended to be the Johnny "Ace" Harris that recorded toured and appeared in movies with the original Ink Spots and made that claim until his death in 2000. In 1944, Harris recorded with
Hot Lips Page Oran Thaddeus "Hot Lips" Page (January 27, 1908 – November 5, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He was known as a scorching soloist and powerful vocalist. Page was a member of Walter Page's Blue Devils, Artie Sh ...
, then joined the
Erskine Hawkins Erskine Ramsay Hawkins (July 26, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard " Tuxedo Junction" ( ...
Orchestra, with whom he recorded several times. He played with Hawkins until 1947, and returned to play with him again in 1950–51. Harris also recorded with small ensembles in the 1940s and with a
jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...
band in 1951–52. He played at the Cloister Inn in Chicago in 1954. A compact disc of Harris's recordings spanning 1937–52 was released by Jazz Classics in 2004.


References

*Howard Rye, "Ace Harris". '' Grove Jazz'' online.


Further reading

* Hugues Panassie and M. Gautier. ''Dictionnaire du jazz'', 3rd ed., 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Ace 1910 births 1964 deaths American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians