Ace Spectrum

Ace Spectrum
Origin	New York City
Genres	soul, R&B, disco
Years active	1966-1976
Labels	Atlantic
Past members	Rudy Gay, Elliot Isaac, Aubrey Johnson, Henry Zant

Ace Spectrum was an R&B/soul/disco musical group most popular in the mid 1970s.

History

Based in New York City^[1] the group consisted of Rudy Gay, Elliot Isaac, Aubrey "Troy" Johnson, Frederick G. Duff, and Henry "Red" Zant^[2] (also known as Edward "Easy" Zant) who led the group and provided management.^[3] These four began collaboration as a group in 1966.^[3] Don't Send Nobody Else, written by Ashford & Simpson,^[3] was their biggest single. From their Tony Sylvester-produced^[4] debut album, it peaked at number 57 on Billboard's Hot 100^[5] while finding its way to the top 20 on the R&B Singles chart. The b-side to their single Without You was released as a 12-inch single, and heavily promoted by their record label at disco clubs.^[6] Another single Live And Learn with lead vocals by Frederick, reached position 35 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart. Their first two albums saw chart action. Inner Spectrum attained position 28 on the R&B Albums chart, and Low Rent Rendezvous saw action on the Billboard 200 (#138),^[7] as well as on R&B Albums (#35).^[8] Patrick Adams produced and arranged the group's 1976 recordings, but consequential success eluded them.^[9][10]

Style and influence

Ace Spectrum never developed into a huge hitmaker, although Allmusic considers it a "decent soul ensemble."^[2] Their recordings have generated considerable interest among Northern Soul collectors.^[11] The 1975 release "Keep Holding On" was one of the very first 12-inch singles.^[12] Musically, the group employed a mix of up-tempo and down-tempo songs. The group eschewed the "high-voice technique" that was common for the era. Backing strings were important to the group's sound. Billboard commented positively about group, stating it deserved "as much exposure as possible."^[13]

Discography

Singles

Year	Title	b-side	Label/Catalog #	Billboard Hot 100	R&B Singles	Dance Music/Club Play Singles
1974	Don't Send Nobody Else	Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight	Atlantic 3012[14]	57	20	-
1975	Trust Me	I Just Want to Spend the Night With You	Atlantic 3281[14]	-	-	-
1975	Without You	Keep Holding On	Atlantic 3296[14]	-	-	-
1976	Live and Learn	Just Like in the Movies	Atlantic 3353[14]	-	-	35

Albums

Year	Title	Label/Catalog #	Billboard Albums	R&B Albums
1974	Inner Spectrum	Atlantic SD 7299[14]	-	28
1975	Low Rent Rendezvous	Atlantic SD 18143[14]	138	35
1976	Just Like In The Movies	Atlantic SD 18185[14]	-	-

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2000). Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 0-89820-139-X.
2. Wynn, Ron. "Ace Spectrum Artist Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
3. "New on the Charts". Billboard. October 12, 1974. p. 38. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
4. "New on the Charts". Billboard. January 11, 1975. p. 16. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
5. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
6. "'Hijack' Inspires Strong Atlantic Disco Promotion". Billboard. September 6, 1975. pp. 4, 22. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
7. The Billboard Albums, 6th ed. Joel Whitburn. 2006. Record Research Inc. p. 20. ISBN 0-89820-166-7
8. "Ace Spectrum Artist Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
9. "New York Beat". Jet. March 11, 1976. p. 56. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
10. Black Music & Jazz Review (IPC Specialist & Professional Press) 1 (10): 27. 1979.
11. Miller, Chuck (2011). Warman's American Records. Krause Publications. ISBN 9781440228216. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
12. Shapiro, Peter (2006). Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco. Macmillan. ISBN 9780865479524. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
13. "Top Album Picks - Soul". Billboard. April 20, 1974. p. 52. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
14. Popoff, Martin (2010). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948-1991. Krause Publications. ISBN 9781440216213.