Ace Cannon – born John Henry Cannon on May 5, 1934, in Grenada, Mississippi – was a tenor and alto saxophonist best known for his rockabilly recordings including his 1960 Top 20 hit “Tuff.” He originally came to prominence as a member of Bill Black’s Combo. Bill Black was previously the bassist in Elvis Presley’s original trio but once Elvis went into the army, Bill Black formed his combo. The group’s original saxophonist, Martin Willis, didn’t tour with the combo so they brought in Ace Cannon to perform on tour. Bill Black’s Combo was signed to Hi Records and released many singles for the label. As his touring saxophonist, Ace Cannon caught the attention of Hi Records and he signed with the label. Using Bill Black’s Combo as his backing band, Ace Cannon released his single “Tuff” in 1961. The single was a success and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. His next single, “Blues (Stay Away from Me),” only climbed to number 36, and while he continued to chart with various singles over the next two decades, Ace Cannon never had another Top 40 hit. However, he continued to release dozens of albums over the course of his career. He stayed with Hi Records until 1979 and then recorded for a series of labels including Gusto Records, Rohit Records, Project 3 Records, and others. Ace Cannon’s classic sound became extremely influential, and he was inducted into Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000. Ace Cannon died on December 16, 2018, at the age of 84.
