John “Ace” Cannon was born on this day in 1934. He was a tenor/alto sax man who in 1961 scored a Top 20 record with his first solo hit, “Tuff.” Backing him on that song was The Bill Black Combo. His last single was released in 1977, a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.”
Cannon was often called “The Godfather of the Sax.” He did session work for Sun Records and would record for Memphis’ Hi Records. In his career, he recorded over 40 albums (27 on the Hi label)!
Boo Mitchell, owner of Royal Studios, the historic home of Hi Records, said, “He was one of Memphis’ premiere horn players. He had a sound that was unmatched in music when you think about it. He was rock ‘n’ roll saxophone.”
Memphis music historian Robert Gordon said of Cannon: “Ace’s sound could have you feeling like you were cozied up to a nice fire at home, or maybe throwing open a barroom door to be startled by the first light of day. Ace could conjure it all.”
Ace spoke with author Jimmy McDonough for his book “Soul Survivor.” He was humble and said, “I’m not the greatest saxophone player in the world. I’m a stylist. I play from my heart.”
He toured the world and in the late 1980’s he decided to stay close to home. He moved back to his hometown of Calhoun City, Mississippi. He would play occasional dates every year, and spent the majority of his time on the golf course.
He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000 and passed away in 2018 at the age of 84.
Happy Birthday, Ace!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 