Johnny Vincent (October 3, 1927 – February 4, 2000)[1] was an American record producer for Art Rupe at Specialty Records, founded Ace Records in 1955 in Jackson, Mississippi, 165 miles away from New Orleans. Although Vincent started out recording local blues musicians, in 1956 he branched out into New Orleans rhythm and blues and rock and roll. He signed up Huey "Piano" Smith and his group who was able to develop a New Orleans shuffle style distinctive from the Fats Domino jumping boogie rhythm.[2]
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Vincent was born John Vincent Imbragulio in Hattiesburg, Mississippi,[1] and died in Jackson, Mississippi. He moved to Jackson in the late 1940s and opened a record shop and started the Champion Records label in the early fifties.[3]
Then Art Rupe offered him a job as A&R man at Specialty where Johnny worked with John Lee Hooker, Earl King, and Huey "Piano" Smith. His greatest hit was with Guitar Slim and "The Things That I Used to Do" an R&B # 1 in 1954. He left Specialty to found Ace.[2]
Ace enjoyed several national hits in the late 1950s, such as Huey "Piano" Smith's "Rockin' Pneumonia & Boogie Woogie Flu," and Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise"; both of which Vincent produced. In addition, the label had a series of Jimmy Clanton hits, but by 1962 the difficulties in distribution for a small independent record label, forced Vincent to close down the label.[3]
Vincent reactivated the label in 1971 to produce some new music and reissue the treasures from the label's vault and by leasing the masters to other labels. In 1997, he sold the label to Music Collection International, a British label.[4]
Vincent died in February 2000, of heart failure, at the age of 72.[1]