Ace Spectrum was an American R&B,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

musical group that was popular in the mid-1970s.

History

Based in New York City, the group consisted of Rudy Gay Sr., Elliot Isaac, Henry "Easy" Zant, Aubrey "Troy" Johnson, and, on their final album, Frederick G. Duff and Lawrence Coley. Zant, (also known as Edward "Easy" Zant), was not only a member but he also managed the group. Gay, Isaac, Zant and Johnson began collaboration as a group in 1966. "Don't Send Nobody Else", written by

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

, was their biggest single. From their Tony Sylvester-produced debut album, it peaked at number 57 on Billboard's Hot 100 while finding its way to the top 20 on the R&B Singles chart. Their single "Keep Holdin' On" was released as a 12-inch single, and heavily promoted by their record label at disco clubs. 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),The Billboard Albums, 6th ed. Joel Whitburn. 2006. Record Research Inc. p. 20. as well as on R&B Albums (#35). Patrick Adams produced and arranged the group's 1976 recordings, but consequential success eluded them.

Style and influence

Ace Spectrum never developed into a huge hitmaker, although Allmusic considers it a "decent soul ensemble." Their recordings have generated considerable interest among Northern Soul collectors. The 1975 release "Keep Holding On" was one of the first

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

s. 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

commented positively about group, stating it deserved "as much exposure as possible." Rudy Gay Sr., a member of

Iota Phi Theta Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded on September 19, 1963, at Morgan State University (then Morgan State College) in Baltimore, Maryland, and is currently the 5th largest Black Greek Le ...

fraternity, later went on to both father the famous basketball player and become music director for

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...

Discography

Singles

Albums

References

{{Authority control African-American musical groups American soul musical groups American rhythm and blues musical groups Musical groups from New York City Musical groups established in 1966 Atlantic Records artists Musical quartets