| The Amazing Rhythm Aces | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Country rock, Soft rock, Southern rock |
| Years active | 1974–1981, 1994–present |
| Labels | Valley, ABC, Columbia, Warner Bros., Breaker |
| Associated acts | Sawyer Brown Jesse Winchester |
| Members | |
| Billy Earhart III Russell Smith Lorne Rall Kevin Holly Mark Horn |
|
| Past members | |
| Barry Burton Duncan Cameron Jeff Davis James Hooker Butch McDade Danny Parks |
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country rock group. The band has characterized their music as "American Music" or "Roots Music" — rock, country, blues, R&B, folk, reggae and Latino. While they are best known for their 1970s hit "Third Rate Romance", to their small but fanatical fan base they are far from "one hit wonders"; releasing 18 albums over 30 years including a 15-year hiatus. Their music is distinguished by its eclectic scope, literate and often quirky lyrics, and distinctive vocals by lead singer/songwriter Russell Smith.
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The Aces were first a local band in Knoxville, Tennessee in the late 1960s-early 1970s although they went by another name "Fatback". The band consisted of founding members Russell Smith, Jeff 'Stick' Davis, and Butch McDade. They left Knoxville for greener pastures in the early seventies.
The Aces came together in Memphis, Tennessee in 1972, first with bassist Jeff Davis and drummer Butch McDade, who had recorded and toured with singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester. Davis and McDade recruited vocalist/guitarist Russell Smith, keyboardist Billy Earhart III, lead guitar, multi-instrumentalist, Barry 'Byrd' Burton,who died in 2008 and pianist James Hooker to develop a sound mixing pop, country and blue-eyed soul.
Stacked Deck, their debut album released in 1975, resulted in two crossover (rock and country) hits, "Third Rate Romance" and "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)," the group's lone Top 10 country single. In 1976 "The End Is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)," from the album Too Stuffed to Jump, won a Grammy for Country Vocal Performance by a Group. "Third Rate Romance" reached #1 on the Canadian pop/rock charts.
Burton left the group after the release of 1977's Toucan Do It Too, and was replaced by Duncan Cameron.
In 1978, the Aces released Burning the Ballroom Down, followed the next year by a self-titled effort featuring songs with Joan Baez, Tracy Nelson and the Muscle Shoals Horns. Both albums received critical approval, but sold poorly. They released another album, How the Hell Do You Spell Rhythum, before disbanding.
Smith became a successful songwriter, Earhart joined Hank Williams, Jr.'s Bama Band, and Cameron joined Sawyer Brown, a group that found significant chart success in the 1980s with a sound similar to Amazing Rhythm Aces. Hooker joined Nanci Griffith in 1987, there he became the leader of the band The Blue Moon Orchestra. In 2007, James retired from the road and now lives in County Tipperary, Ireland and Mallorca, Spain, where he still continues a very active writing and recording schedule. James Hooker Today A year after the release of Out of the Blue, Butch McDade died after a long battle with cancer on November 29, 1998. Barry 'Byrd' Burton went on to become a successful producer and legendary session guitarist. He released a solo instrumental country effort in 2002, titled Byrd Braynz (ADF Records). Barry 'Byrd' Burton died on March 10, 2008 from complications of Myelodysplastic syndrome (a rare form of blood cancer).[1]
The Aces reformed in 1994. The group, composed of Smith, Davis, McDade, Earhart, Hooker and new guitarist/mandolinist Danny Parks, released Ride Again, an album of new renditions of their biggest hits.
They began composing songs for a comeback album. Although McDade's cancer-related death on 29 November 1998 slowed the release, Chock Full of Country Goodness appeared in mid-1998 with Michael Organ (drummer) as a temporary replacement. Jeff 'Stick' Davis left the group in 2004 shortly after the release of "Nothin' But The Blues". Since 2007, the Ace's line-up included original members Russell Smith and Billy Earheart, along with Kelvin Holly on lead guitar, Mark Horn on drums and Lorne Rall on bass. The boogie/blues inspired "Nothin' but the Blues" was followed with 2007's "Midnight Communion" which hearkened back to the Aces eclectic roots music origins.
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1975 | Stacked Deck | 12 | 120 | ABC |
| 1976 | Too Stuffed to Jump | 16 | 157 | |
| 1977 | Toucan Do It Too | 26 | 114 | |
| 1978 | Burning the Ballroom Down | 28 | 166 | |
| 1979 | The Amazing Rhythm Aces | 47 | 144 | |
| 1980 | How the Hell Do You Spell Rythum? | — | 175 | Warner Bros. |
| 1981 | Full House: Aces High | — | — | MSS |
| 1982 | 4 You 4 Ever: Best of Amazing Rhythm Aces | — | — | M&R |
| 1994 | Ride Again | — | — | Breaker |
| 1997 | Out of the Blue | — | — | |
| 1998 | Chock Full of Country Goodness | — | — | Valley |
| 1999 | Live in Switzerland | — | — | Store for Music |
| Concert Classics, Volume 3 | — | — | Renaissance | |
| 2000 | Absolutely Live | — | — | Icehouse |
| 2001 | Between You and Us | — | — | Pilot |
| 2004 | Nothin' but the Blues | — | — | Russell Smith |
| 2007 | Midnight Communion | — | — | |
| 2009 | Very Best of Amazing Rhythm Aces | — | — | Varese |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1975 | "Third Rate Romance" | 11 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Stacked Deck |
| "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)" | 9 | 72 | 10 | 79 | — | ||
| 1976 | "The End Is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)" | 12 | 42 | 20 | 69 | — | Too Stuffed to Jump |
| 1978 | "Ashes of Love" | 100 | — | — | — | — | Burning the Ballroom Down |
| 1979 | "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)" | 88 | 104 | — | — | — | The Amazing Rhythm Aces |
| 1980 | "I Musta Died and Gone to Texas" | 77 | — | — | — | — | How the Hell Do You Spell Rythum? |