The Aces are a long-standing

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

band from

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

, who have been playing for well over fifty years. At the height of their success in the 1960s they supported both

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

, as well as releasing singles in the UK and U.S.

Early work

The Aces began playing in Hull during the British

skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United States ...

boom of the late 1950s. The line-up changed a few times, but stabilised with a quartet comprising Eric Lee (vocals), brothers Brian Gatie (guitar) and Adrian Gatie (drums), and Johnny Pat on bass. They were signed to

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

during the

beat boom Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

era.

The 1960s

They released two UK singles with Parlophone: "Wait Till Tomorrow" in December 1963 (with the B-side being "The Last One") and "

I Count the Tears "I Count the Tears" is a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and performed by The Drifters, with Ben E. King singing lead. In 1960, the track reached No. 6 on the U.S. R&B chart, No. 17 on the U.S. pop chart, and No. 28 on the UK Singles C ...

", a cover of

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

hit, in February 1964 (the B-side being "But Say It Isn't So"). In the United States "

" was released as "Counting Tears" on the Stellar label in August 1964. They toured the United Kingdom and played as a support act for both

and

. Bassist and unofficial frontman Johnny Pat also played with another Hull band, The Small Four, who were signed to

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

and supported

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Later work and charity fundraising

The Aces continue to perform regularly and have now been in showbusiness for well over fifty years. They frequently perform as part of charity fundraising events, and have been described as "a rock and roll band with a huge and enthusiastic following". In the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

Johnny Pat was awarded the

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...

(BEM) for services to charity fundraising and the community in Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Singles

United Kingdom

* "Wait Till Tomorrow" (

) December 1963 (B-side: "The Last One") * "

" (

) February 1964 (B-side: But Say It Isn't So")

United States

* "Counting Tears" (Stellar) August 1964 (B-side: "But Say It Isn't So")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aces English pop music groups English rock music groups British rock and roll music groups British Invasion artists Beat groups Musical quartets Musical groups established in 1959 Musical groups from Kingston upon Hull Parlophone artists 1959 establishments in England