George Strait, Terry Hale, Mike Daily, Ron Huckaby, Rick McRae, Benny McArthur, Joe Manuel, John Michael Whitby, Marty Slayton, Wes Hightower
Past members
David Anthony, Ron Cabal, Ted Stubblefield, Tommy Foote, Jay Dominguez, Bill Mabry, Roger Montgomery, Jeff Sturms, Thom Flora, Mike Kennedy, Gene Elders
Ace in the Hole Band is the backup band for American country music performer George Strait, who was the band's lead singer before beginning his solo career in the early 1980s. The band formed at San Marcos, Texas in the 1970s, and recorded several singles for "D Records" including the Strait-penned "I Just Can't Go On Dying Like This" and "I Don't Want To Talk It Over Anymore". After Strait attained status as the "King of Country", the group released an album of its own in 1995 featuring vocals from Darrell McCall and Mel Tillis.
The Ace in the Hole Band derived from the band "Stoney Ridge," which was composed of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) students Ron Cabal (lead guitar), Mike Daily (steel guitar), Terry Hale (Bass guitar), Tommy Foote (drums) and Jay Dominguez (lead vocals). Dominguez and Foote left the band after graduating in 1975, prompting a search for a new singer. The band members posted bulletins around the campus of Southwest Texas.[1] One was noticed by an agricultural science student, George Strait. He contacted the band and was hired after an audition. Soon after, the group was renamed "Ace in the Hole" and George quickly became the lead singer.[1]
The band regularly performed at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, Texas, where they debuted on October 13, 1975 along with new member Ted Stubblefield, who temporarily replaced Foote as the drummer. Acts such as Asleep at the Wheel and Jerry Jeff Walker also played at the forum. The band appeared at the locale nearly every week until the early 1980s, when they began touring with Strait. Drummer Foote returned to the lineup late in 1975[1] and remained as drummer until 1983 when he relinquished his position to become the band's road manager.[2] Tommy Foote died in May 2024.
Recording
In 1976, Pappy Daily, the grandfather of band member Mike Daily, decided to record the group for his "D Records" label at a studio in Houston, Texas. At the first session, the band recorded Dallas Frazier's "Honky Tonk Downstairs" (later recorded on Strait's 1981 debut album Strait Country) and the Strait-penned "I Just Can't Go on Dying Like This" (later recorded on Strait's 2013 album Love Is Everything). The songs were released to radio stations in Texas and Oklahoma. In 1977, Bill Mabry was added to the lineup as a fiddle player and the band recorded their second single, which featured the songs "Lonesome Rodeo Cowboy" (later recorded on Strait's 1990 album Livin' It Up) and "That Don’t Change the Way I Feel About You" which was written by Strait. The next year, the band recorded the songs "Right or Wrong," and "Little Liza Jane",[1] which were later included on the 2005 D Records label release Complete D Singles Collection, Vol. 6: The Sounds of Houston, Texas.[3] Strait re-recorded "Right or Wrong" in 1983 for his album Right or Wrong and took it to number one on the country charts. "The Loneliest Singer in Town" and Strait's "I Don’t Want to Talk It Over Anymore" also came out of this session. The three songs composed by Strait were later released on his 1995 compilation album Strait Out of the Box.[4]
In 1981, after Strait signed with MCA Records, the band began to tour with him and played the instrumentals on his recordings. They were honored in 1991 with the SRO's "Touring Band of the Year."[5] Four years later, the band released an album without vocals from Strait, featuring singers Darrell McCall and Mel Tillis.[1]
The Ace in the Hole Band released their self-named debut album in 1995.[7] Among its many covers, the album features the song "You're Something Special to Me," which was recorded by George Strait on his 1985 album Something Special.[8]
^ abcdefghGrant Mazak (2006). "Ace in the Hole Band". Texas Music History Online. Texas State University. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
