See this excerpt about blues guitarist "The Black Ace":

"In the late '30s, a Texan by the name of Babe Karo Lemon Turner released a single called `Black Ace Blues.' A Fort Worth radio station started to use the cut as a theme song and soon Turner assumed the moniker. Long before Jeff Healy piqued the music world's curiosity by playing guitar on his lap, Black Ace was playing a National steel guitar on his lap with a slide. He was one of only a few bluesmen who used this technique, the others being Kokomo Arnold and Black Ace's mentor, Oscar `Buddy' Woods. After only a few recordings in the '30s he remained dormant until Arhoolie Records' Chris Strachwitz ventured to his Fort Worth home in 1960 and brought the obscure bluesman back to the public's ear. Those recordings were originally issued the following year on Black Ace's only LP. With the fortunate advent of compact discs, we now have the pleasure of hearing the slide guitarist again some 30 years later.

Source: http://www.arhoolie.com/titles/374.shtml

This online source includes 23 audio clips including "I'm the black ace".
-snip-

The name "Black Ace" works on a number of levels. Firstly, it is linked to the playing card, the ace of spades. Secondly, the name plays on the informal {sometimes derogatory}slang referent for Black people "spades". Finally, the name "Black Spade" plays on the slang term "ace" from the card game, meaning "the best of the best". My mother still says "It's ace" when she's referring to something that is very good.

In adopting this name, Babe Turner was engaging in the same self-promoting tradition as Muhammad Ali when he said "I am the greatest!", and as Hip-hop rappers and dancehall reggae djs do when they engage in their own brand of self-boasting.

The cultural traditions of these names and the layers of meanings and the attitudes about race & identity that these names and lyrics evoke are what makes this subject so fascinating to me.