Ridiculous History: The Grim Christmas Folklore of Johnny Ace (with Jake Brennan)

Podcast: Ridiculous History by iHeartPodcasts
Episode Date: December 16, 2025
Guests: Jake Brennan (Disgraceland podcast), Hosts Ben Bowlin, Noel Brown, Max Williams
Theme: The haunting and myth-laden story of Johnny Ace, the R&B star whose tragic death became the stuff of music folklore and Christmas legend.

Episode Overview

The hosts invite music storyteller and "Disgraceland" creator Jake Brennan to unravel the life, legend, and dark legacy of Johnny Ace — an influential Memphis R&B musician whose mysterious death on Christmas Day, 1954, has inspired decades of rumor and myth. As the conversation unfolds, the trio peels back the mythology surrounding Johnny Ace’s demise, exposes the racial undercurrents of music folklore, and explores how urban legends are birthed from both tragedy and the machinations of the music industry. It’s a tale as much about the stories we tell as the grim, ridiculously true events that underpin them.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Johnny Ace: Who Was He? [06:29]

• Description & Place in History:

  • Jake Brennan describes Johnny Ace as a cool, enigmatic figure on the Memphis R&B scene just before Elvis's rise ("Johnny Ace... young dude in Memphis who was just the coolest guy. And Elvis and many others loved him." - Jake, 07:27).
  • Started as a pianist for B.B. King's band, the Beale Streeters, before breaking out as a solo act and landing R&B chart hits.
  • Seen as a kind of local legend and role model for Elvis and other Memphis musicians.

• The Mythic Cool:

  • Discussion on how Johnny Ace embodied a level of cool almost supernatural in its effortless charisma—akin to Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie in their prime.

2. Myth-Busting: The Russian Roulette Story [12:41]

• Prevailing Legend:

  • The widespread belief that Johnny Ace died playing Russian roulette backstage on Christmas Day, 1954 ("The myth is, of course, he died playing Russian roulette, which he did not." - Jake, 27:13).
  • Jake was inspired to dig into this while researching for his "Disgraceland" podcast, eventually finding the truth to be more nuanced.

• Reality vs. Folklore:

  • The so-called “Russian roulette” death was more a combination of drunken, reckless gunplay than the cinematic, multi-player death game ("He eventually does in front of Big Mama Thornton, and Johnny Ace shoot himself and dies backstage." – Jake, 27:12).
  • No actual “game”—his friends (including singer Big Mama Thornton) supposedly even begged him to stop.
  • Media sensationalized the tragedy, helping cement mythical status and giving his posthumously released single a tragic allure.

3. The Role of Don Robey: Industry Machinations & Conspiracy Theories [27:55]

• Robey’s Profile:

  • Label owner, club boss, ruthless operator described as a “proto Suge Knight” of early R&B (Jake, 27:55).
  • Controlled Johnny Ace’s record label, venues, bookings, etc. ("Don Roby was a larger than life, violent, exploitative, black, Jewish gangster. From Houston..." - Jake, 28:16).
  • Sought a “crossover” hit on the pop charts (i.e., white audiences), heavily invested in Johnny Ace’s potential.

• Conspiracy Theories:

  • Rumors that Robey (either through Big Mama Thornton or otherwise) orchestrated Johnny’s death to drive record sales, noting parallels to Hank Williams's posthumous chart success.
  • Jake dismisses the most outlandish versions but acknowledges how such narratives gain traction ("The more elaborate the conspiracy, the less likely such a conspiracy was required to make the thing happen." - Max, 36:44).

• Who Profited?:

  • Robey (and later his estate) raked in the royalties as Johnny’s tragic myth grew; Johnny Ace’s family got nothing ("The sad irony is that Johnny Ace's family received... nothing, zip, zilch." - Ben, 39:34).

4. Folklore, Racial Tropes, & the Birth of Myths [13:43, 16:25]

• Racialized Myths:

  • Discussion of longstanding racist tropes in blues/rock history—e.g., the “sold his soul to the devil” myth about Robert Johnson as a way for white audiences to “explain” Black virtuosity ("That's kind of a racist explanation of... how you got so good...the only way...they couldn't explain his talent" – Jake, 14:00).
  • The conversation expands into examples of other musicians (Django Reinhardt, Tony Iommi) who didn't face such accusations despite extraordinary ability.

• Media’s Role:

  • Press coverage shapes the narrative, often in ways that benefit those in power and further distort the real story ("The press...pick up the story and they leave out half the facts. And literally, the headlines are that he died playing Russian roulette." - Jake, 37:06).

5. Intertwined Legacies: Elvis Presley & "Pledging My Love" [38:30]

• Postmortem Successes:
  • After Johnny’s death, his single “Pledging My Love” climbs the charts ("His song…starts to go up the charts…Don Roby’s not going to call anyone up…to correct the record." - Jake, 37:51).
  • Years later, Elvis, still fascinated by Ace, records the same song for his final studio album (“Moody Blue”)—then dies himself.
  • Both deaths coincide with commercial booms, further entrenching their stories in music folklore.

6. Grief, Folklore, and Holiday Melancholy [43:05]

• Grief as a Through-Line:
  • Jake relates the Johnny Ace/Elvis connection back to his writing on grief’s pervasive impact throughout music history, especially around the holidays.
  • Picture painted of Elvis, later in life, mourning at Christmas and connecting with Johnny’s melancholy ("I could see him at that time…thinking about his brother and...that song Pledging My Love." - Jake, 43:05).

Notable Quotes

• On Johnny Ace’s reputation:

  • “There’s a level of cool that’s like extraterrestrial...That’s what Johnny Ace was.” – Jake Brennan [07:27]

• On the allure of myth-busting:

  • “90% of people think it’s one thing, but it’s actually something else. So we’re in that historical myth-busting phase, which is a very cool spot.” – Jake Brennan [03:13]

• On the Russian roulette legend:

  • “I first heard the myth...that Johnny Ace, this great R&B singer...died at the age of 25 years old, tragically from playing Russian roulette. Motherf—er didn’t die from Russian roulette...that's not at all what happened.” – Jake Brennan [09:36, 12:41]

• On the racialized “deal with the devil” trope:

  • “They couldn’t explain his talent...so the trope emerged that the only way he could have gotten so good was by selling his soul to the devil.” – Jake Brennan [14:01]

• On Don Robey’s parallel to industry figures:

  • “Don Roby was a proto Suge Knight. Don Roby was to R&B what Al Capone was to the Chicago Mafia.” – Jake Brennan [27:55]

• On industry exploitation:

  • “The sad irony is that Johnny Ace's family received...nothing, zip, zilch.” – Ben Bowlin [39:34]

• On perpetual folklore:

  • “Anytime someone achieves a certain threshold of fame, there will inevitably be folklore about them. We agree with that.” – Ben Bowlin [46:28]

Important Timestamps

• Johnny Ace Backstory & Mythic Cool: [06:29–08:17]
• Introduction to the Russian Roulette Myth: [12:41–13:43]
• Jake’s Myth-Busting Insights: [13:43–15:14]
• Discussion of Racial Myths and Robert Johnson: [16:25–17:38]
• Explaining Russian Roulette Mechanics: [21:00–22:40]
• The Events of Christmas 1954 & What Really Happened: [23:22–27:13]
• Industry, Don Robey, and Conspiracy Theories: [27:55–36:44]
• The Role of Media in Spreading the Myth: [37:06–37:51]
• Elvis’s Connection & “Pledging My Love”: [38:30–40:52]
• Folklore, Funeral, and Robey’s Profits: [41:26–41:49]
• Reflections on Grief and Holiday Melancholy: [43:05–43:57]
• Closing, Folklore Creation, and Calls to Action: [46:28–47:13]

Memorable Moments

• Jake’s “Myth-Busting” Carnegie Hall Story: How he ended up on stage at Carnegie Hall without practicing, via Patti Smith’s birthday celebration. [14:24–15:07]
• Tales of Don Robey’s Intimidation: The image of him lugging club earnings and a shotgun through Houston. [28:34–29:28]
• Elvis covering Johnny Ace’s song, then dying soon after, with Robey’s estate collecting the royalties: Darkly poetic symmetry. [38:30–39:34]
• Playful banter about Christmas melancholy, fruitcake, and typewriters (Tom Hanks): Keeps the tone in Ridiculous History’s signature, irreverent style.

Tone & Style

The conversation is simultaneously scholarly and playful, moving quickly between musicology, industry intrigue, emotional reflection, and on-brand, tongue-in-cheek asides. Jake Brennan delivers meticulously researched history with the casual swagger of someone who grew up loving the legends he studies, while the hosts punctuate with humor and warmth.

Final Thoughts

The episode deftly weaves together the threads of music history, the machinery of fame, and the evolution of cultural mythologies—centering Johnny Ace as both cautionary tale and misunderstood legend. The hosts and Jake invite listeners to question not just the facts behind the stories they know, but why the stories themselves endure.

Listen for:

• A crash course in how musical myths are born—and why some persist
• A vivid, bittersweet dose of rock’n’roll holiday folklore
• Riotous banter, piercing myth-busting, and an exploration of grief’s place in music storytelling

Recommended for anyone who loves their history absurd, their music tragic, and their legends larger than life.