Ace in the Hole Band is the
backup band
A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such a ...
for American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
performer
George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...
, who was the band's lead singer before beginning his solo career in the early 1980s. The band formed at
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...
in the 1970s, and recorded several singles for "D Records" including the Strait-penned "I Just Can't Go On Dying Like This" and "I Don't Want To Talk It Over Anymore". After Strait attained status as the "
King of Country", the group released an album of its own in 1995 featuring vocals from
Darrell McCall
Darrell McCall (born April 30, 1940) is a country music performer, known for his honky tonk and traditional country musical style at the height of his career in the 1960s, and his return to popularity during the Outlaw country era in the late 1 ...
and
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...
.
The band, originally known as "Stoney Ridge", performs such styles of traditional country music as
honky-tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...
and
western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...
and were influenced by such performers as
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...
,
Johnny Bush
John Bush Shinn III (February 17, 1935October 16, 2020) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Nicknamed the "Country Caruso", Bush was best known for his distinctive voice and for writing the song "Whiskey River", a t ...
, and
The Strangers. Contemporaries of the band include
Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...
and
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was best ...
.
Background
Origins
The Ace in the Hole Band derived from the band "Stoney Ridge," which was composed of
Southwest Texas State University
Texas State University is a public university, public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin, Greater Austin metropolitan area ...
(now Texas State) students Ron Cabal (lead
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
), Mike Daily (
steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
), Terry Hale (
Bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
), Tommy Foote (
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
) and Jay Dominguez (lead vocals). Dominguez and Foote left the band after graduating in 1975, prompting a search for a new singer. The band members posted bulletins around the campus of Southwest Texas.
One was noticed by an
agricultural science
Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...
student, George Strait. He contacted the band and was hired after an audition. Soon after, the group was renamed "Ace in the Hole" and George quickly became the lead singer.
The band regularly performed at Cheatham Street Warehouse in
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...
, where they debuted on October 13, 1975 along with new member Ted Stubblefield, who temporarily replaced Foote as the drummer. Acts such as
Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...
and
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was best ...
also played at the forum. The band appeared at the locale nearly every week until the early 1980s, when they began touring with Strait. Drummer Foote returned to the lineup late in 1975
and remained as drummer until 1983 when he relinquished his position to become the band's road manager, a position he holds to this day.
Recording
In 1976,
Pappy Daily
Harold W. Daily (February 8, 1902 – December 5, 1987), better known as "Pappy" Daily, was an American country music record producer and entrepreneur who cofounded the Texas-based record label Starday Records. Daily worked with many of the well-kn ...
, the grandfather of band member Mike Daily, decided to record the group for his "D Records" label at a studio in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. At the first session, the band recorded
Dallas Frazier
Dallas Frazier (October 27, 1939 – January 14, 2022) was an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 1960s.
Life and career
Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma, on October 27, 1939, but was raised in Bakersfie ...
's "Honky Tonk Downstairs" (later recorded on Strait's 1981 debut album ''
Strait Country
''Strait Country'' is the debut studio album by American country music artist George Strait, released on September 4, 1981 by MCA Records. The album's traditional country music approach—a mix of Texas honky tonk and the Bakersfield sound—pre ...
'') and the Strait-penned "I Just Can't Go on Dying Like This" (later recorded on Strait's 2013 album ''
Love Is Everything''). The songs were released to radio stations in Texas and
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. In 1977, Bill Mabry was added to the lineup as a fiddle player and the band recorded their second single, which featured the songs "Lonesome Rodeo Cowboy" (later recorded on Strait's 1990 album ''
Livin' It Up'') and "That Don’t Change the Way I Feel About You" which was written by Strait. The next year, the band recorded the songs "
Right or Wrong," and "
Little Liza Jane
"Li'l Liza Jane", also known as "Little Liza Jane", "Liza Jane", and "Goodbye Liza Jane", is a song dating back at least to the 1910s. It has become a perennial standard both as a song and an instrumental in traditional jazz, folk music, and blu ...
",
which were later included on the 2005 D Records label release ''Complete D Singles Collection, Vol. 6: The Sounds of Houston, Texas''.
Strait re-recorded "Right or Wrong" in 1983 for his album ''
Right or Wrong'' and took it to number one on the country charts. "The Loneliest Singer in Town" and Strait's "I Don’t Want to Talk It Over Anymore" also came out of this session. The three songs composed by Strait were later released on his 1995 compilation album ''
Strait Out of the Box
''Strait Out of the Box'' is the first box set album by American country music artist George Strait. It contains four albums' worth of music, dating from 1976 to 1995. It mainly consists of Strait's singles, except for a select few that he deci ...
''.
In 1981, after Strait signed with
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
, the band began to tour with him and played the instrumentals on his recordings. They were honored in 1991 with the SRO's "Touring Band of the Year."
[
] Four years later, the band released an album without vocals from Strait, featuring singers
Darrell McCall
Darrell McCall (born April 30, 1940) is a country music performer, known for his honky tonk and traditional country musical style at the height of his career in the 1960s, and his return to popularity during the Outlaw country era in the late 1 ...
and
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...
.
Style
The band plays in a
honky-tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...
and
western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...
style, and credits such performers as
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...
,
Hank Williams
Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
,
Johnny Bush
John Bush Shinn III (February 17, 1935October 16, 2020) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Nicknamed the "Country Caruso", Bush was best known for his distinctive voice and for writing the song "Whiskey River", a t ...
,
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
,
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
and
The Strangers as influences.
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
describes the band's styles as
Alternative country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
,
Neotraditional and
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...
revival.
Because of the group's traditional style, performances in the city of
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
did not occur often due to the city's demand for progressive sounds.
Strait traveled to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
in 1977 with hopes of beginning a career, but most in the industry passed on him, shunning his traditional approach for pop-influenced sounds popular in country music during the late 1970s
Urban Cowboy
''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spur ...
era.
Members
Current members
*Mike Daily - steel guitar (1975–present)
*Terry Hale – bass (1975–present)
*Ron Huckaby – piano (1983–present)
*Rick McRae – lead guitar (1984–present)
*Benny McArthur – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, occasional fiddle (1984–present)
*Gene Elders – fiddle, mandolin (1985–present)
*Wes Hightower - backing vocals (1999-2006; 2016–present)
*Marty Slayton – backing vocals (2000–present)
*Joe Manuel - acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2005–present)
*John Michael Whitby – keyboards (2006–present)
*
Bobby Jarzombek
Bobby Jarzombek is an American musician of Polish and German ancestry who is currently the drummer for country music legend George Strait. Bobby also has been a drummer for: vocalist Sebastian Bach, and progressive metal band Fates Warning. ...
- drums (2021-present)
Former Members
*Ron Cabal - lead guitar (1975–1983)
*
George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...
– lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1975–1980)
*Ted Stubblefield – drums (1975)
*Tommy Foote – drums (1976–1982)
*Bill Mabry - fiddle (1977–1979)
*Richard Casanova - fiddle (1980–1984)
*Roger Montgomery – drums (1983–1986)
*David Anthony - acoustic guitar (1985–2002)
*Phillip Fajardo - drums (1987)
*Phil Fisher - drums (1988–1990)
*Mike Kennedy - drums (1991–2018; died 2018)
*Jeff Sturms - acoustic guitar, mandolin (2002–2007); backing vocals (1998-2007); keyboards (1998-2002)
*Liana Manis – backing vocals (1999)
*Anthony Bazzari - keyboards (2002–2005)
*Thom Flora – backing vocals (2007–2014)
*
Lonnie Wilson
Lonnie Wilson is an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer, known primarily for his work in country music.
Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Wilson was originally the lead singer of the band Bandana, which charted ten singles on the Hot C ...
- drums (2019–2020)
Timeline
Discography
Singles
Albums with George Strait
*''
Ocean Front Property
''Ocean Front Property'' is the seventh studio album by American country music artist George Strait, released on January 12, 1987, by MCA Records. It is certified 2× Multi-platinum by the RIAA. It is the first album to debut at #1 on the Billboar ...
'', 1987
*''
Livin' It Up'', 1990
*''
Chill of an Early Fall
''Chill of an Early Fall'' is the eleventh studio album by American country music singer George Strait. It was released by MCA Records. The album produced the singles "If I Know Me" and " You Know Me Better Than That", both of which reached Numb ...
'', 1991
*''
Holding My Own'', 1992
*''
Strait Out of the Box
''Strait Out of the Box'' is the first box set album by American country music artist George Strait. It contains four albums' worth of music, dating from 1976 to 1995. It mainly consists of Strait's singles, except for a select few that he deci ...
'', 1995
*''
For the Last Time For the Last Time may refer to:
Music
* '' For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome'', a 2003 live album by the American country music singer George Strait (recorded in 2002)
* "For the Last Time", a 2019 song by the Australian singer and songw ...
'', 2003
*''
Live at Texas Stadium
''Live at Texas Stadium'' is a live album by Alan Jackson, George Strait and Jimmy Buffett. It was recorded during a concert at Texas Stadium that took place on May 29, 2004. The album was released by Mailboat Records on April 3, 2007.
Track lis ...
'', 2007
*''
The Cowboy Rides Away
"The Cowboy Rides Away" is a song written by Sonny Throckmorton and Casey Kelly, and recorded by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in January 1985 as the second single from his album ''Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Min ...
'', 2014
Hit Singles with George Strait
*"
Lovesick Blues
"Lovesick Blues" is a Tin Pan Alley song, composed by Cliff Friend, with lyrics by Irving Mills. It first appeared in the 1922 musical "Oh, Ernest", and was recorded that year by Elsie Clark and Jack Shea. Emmett Miller recorded it in 1925 and 1 ...
", 1991
*"
Gone as a Girl Can Get", 1992
''Ace in the Hole Band'' (album)
The Ace in the Hole Band released their self-named debut album in 1995. Among its many covers, the album features the song "
You're Something Special to Me," which was recorded by George Strait on his 1985 album ''
Something Special''.
;Track list
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ace In The Hole
Country music groups from Texas
Musical backing groups