Black Ace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Black Ace
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| Birth name | Babe Kyro Lemon Turner |
| Also known as | B.K. Turner Black Ace Turner Babe Turner Buck Turner |
| Born | December 21, 1905 Hughes Springs, Texas, United States |
| Died | November 7, 1972 (aged 66) Fort Worth, Texas |
| Genres | Texas blues Country blues |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | Late 1920s – mid-1940s, 1960–1962 |
| Labels | Decca, Arhoolie |
Black Ace was the stage name of an American Texas blues musician. His real name was Babe Kyro Lemon Turner. He was born on December 21, 1905, and passed away on November 7, 1972. People also knew him as B. K. Turner, Black Ace Turner, Babe Turner, and Buck Turner.
He grew up on his family's farm in Hughes Springs, Texas. He taught himself to play the guitar. By the late 1920s, he was performing music in east Texas.
His Unique Guitar Style
In the early 1930s, Black Ace started playing with other musicians like Smokey Hogg and Oscar "Buddy" Woods. Oscar "Buddy" Woods played his guitar flat on his lap, like a Hawaiian-style guitar.
Black Ace then bought a special steel guitar made by the National String Instrument Corporation. He started playing it in a similar way. His unique sound was later described as "Hawaii meets the Delta." This means it blended Hawaiian guitar sounds with traditional blues music.
Becoming "Black Ace"
In 1937, Black Ace recorded six songs for Decca Records in Dallas. One of these songs was called "Black Ace."
That same year, he began hosting his own radio show on station KFJZ in Fort Worth, Texas. He used his song "Black Ace" as the show's theme music. Soon after, he started using "Black Ace" as his stage name.
Later Years and Legacy
Black Ace also appeared in a movie! In 1941, he was in The Blood of Jesus. This was an African-American film produced by Spencer Williams Jr..
In 1943, Black Ace joined the United States Army. He stopped playing music for several years during this time.
Years later, in 1960, Chris Strachwitz convinced him to record another album. Chris Strachwitz owned Arhoolie Records. Black Ace's last public performance was in 1962. It was for a film documentary called The Blues.
Black Ace passed away in Fort Worth in 1972. He left behind a unique style of blues music.
Discography
- The Black Ace: BK Turner and His Steel Guitar (studio album, Arhoolie, 1960)
- I'm the Boss Card in Your Hand (compilation, Arhoolie, 1992)
See also
In Spanish: Black Ace para niños
