BLACK ACE

Biography

Babe Kyro Lemon Turner, known professionally as Black Ace or B.K. Turner, was born on December 21, 1905, in Hughes Springs, Texas, and raised on his family's farm. He developed an early interest in music through his church, where he sang in a gospel choir, and taught himself to play guitar on a homemade instrument built from parts obtained from his brother. By the late 1920s, Turner was performing at local parties and fish fries in East Texas, gaining regional popularity with his smooth bottleneck blues style played on a National steel guitar, which he adopted after being influenced by Hawaiian-style lap steel techniques.[1][2][3]

In the early 1930s, Turner toured East Texas dance halls and juke joints with Smokey Hogg and Oscar 'Buddy' Woods, refining his 'Hawaii meets the Delta' sound using a glass medicine bottle as a slide. He made his first recordings in 1936-1937 for Decca Records in Dallas (or possibly Chicago), including his signature theme song 'Black Ace,' accompanied by Hogg and pianist 'Whistling' Alex Moore; these six sides marked his pre-war output but were commercially unsuccessful. Turner hosted a popular blues and R&B radio show on KFJZ in Fort Worth starting in 1936, using 'Black Ace' as his theme, and appeared in the 1941 African-American film The Blood of Jesus. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 during World War II, he paused his music career, resuming only in 1960 when Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz rediscovered him in Fort Worth and recorded 17 new tracks, followed by a final appearance in the 1962 documentary The Blues.[1][2][3][4]

Black Ace's legacy endures through his rare recordings blending Delta blues with Hawaiian steel guitar influences, preserved in anthologies like Arhoolie’s I Am the Boss Card in Your Hand, which compiles his 1930s and 1960 sessions. He died of cancer in Fort Worth on November 7, 1972, and was buried in Steen Cemetery, Malakoff, Texas, leaving behind a wife Minnie and one child. Though he shied away from post-rediscovery performances, associating his music with a bygone era, his work remains a testament to Texas blues resilience.[2][3][4]

Fun Facts

• Turner built his first guitar as a child using parts from his brother's instrument and taught himself to play while singing in a church gospel choir.[2][7]
• His 1941 film role in The Blood of Jesus featured him first as a heard-but-unseen guitarist playing 'Golden Slippers Blues,' then visibly performing on a flatbed truck driven by a character portraying the devil.[2][3][4]
• Post-WWII, Turner tried various jobs, exclaiming 'Man, I done everything!' before being rediscovered dusty-guitar-in-attic in 1960.[1][6]
• He used an old glass medicine bottle as a slide on his square-neck National tricone steel guitar, creating a unique 'Hawaii meets the Delta' blues sound.[2][4]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Oscar 'Buddy' Woods - Hawaiian-style guitarist who taught and influenced Turner's lap steel technique (Toured East Texas together; influenced purchase of National steel guitar) [early 1930s]
• Kokomo Arnold - Stylistic influence on falsetto vocals in signature song ('Black Ace') [1930s]

Key Collaborators

• Smokey Hogg - Frequent touring and recording partner, possibly second guitarist (Decca sessions including 'Black Ace' (1936-1937)) [late 1920s-1930s]
• Whistling Alex Moore - Pianist on recordings (Decca 1937 sessions) [1937]
• Chris Strachwitz - Record label owner who rediscovered and recorded him (Arhoolie album (17 tracks, 1960); The Blues documentary (1962)) [1960-1962]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. idfc (deadroses)
2. hot girl bummer (everything means nothing)
3. my ex's best friend (with blackbear) (Tickets To My Downfall)
4. idfc
5. IDGAF (with blackbear) (Serotonin Dreams)
6. do re mi (digital druglord)
7. Monsters (feat. blackbear) (Wake Up, Sunshine)
8. Ocean Eyes - Blackbear Remix
9. Memory
10. Monsters (feat. Demi Lovato and blackbear)

External Links

• Spotify