Ace Spectrum

New York R&B vocal group Ace Spectrum had a brief moment in the sun, but they remain favorites for their core fans more than four decades after they split. Consisting of Rudy Gay Sr., Elliot Isaac, Henry Zant and Aubrey Johnson, the act began in the late 60s releasing songs locally with some success.

Ace  Spectrum had a hit on both the pop and soul charts with the Ashford & Simpson-penned “Don’t Send Nobody Else,” and also landed the dance hit “Live and Learn” in 1976. They had more success on the album charts, hitting the top 40 with both Inner Spectrum and Low Rent Rendezvous.

The group achieved some unusual notoriety in 1975 for releasing a cover of “Third Rate Romance” following its release by the similarly named Amazing Rhythm Aces, creating some confusion among music fans (though we actually liked Ace Spectrum’s cover better).

By the end of the decade, Ace Spectrum members announced publicly that they were breaking up. But we continued to hear from Gay, who stayed in the musical game as music director for The Stylistics and also had some notoriety for his son, NBA player Rudy Gay.