Born in Jasper, Texas, he was raised in Baytown near Houston, and began his career by singing gospel in a group that included Joe Tex. He joined up with other blues singers, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Junior Parker, before signing to Duke/Peacock Records in 1955 and agreeing to be credited as "Buddy Ace", a name previously used by the late Johnny Ace's brother, St. Clair Alexander.

He recorded a string of singles for the Duke label between 1956 and 1969. His hits included "Nothing In the World Can Hurt Me (Except You)", which reached number 25 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1966. His second and last hit in the R&B chart was in the following year, "Hold On (To This Old Fool)", which made number 33. His other well-known tracks included "Root Doctor" and "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man".

In the late 1960s, he moved to California, living in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento, and continuing to perform live shows. He also continued to record, for Paula, Evejim, and several smaller labels. He billed himself "The Silver Fox of the Blues" after his hair turned white in his forties.

Buddy Ace died of a heart attack aged 58, while performing in Waco, Texas, early on Christmas Day, 1994. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.