JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
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In the world of early rhythm & blues and doo wop, Hank Ballard was the very definition of earthiness. Though influenced by high-energy gospel vocal groups, Ballard's music with the Midnighters couldn't have been more diametrically opposed in terms of subject matter: his lyrics were filled with raunchy double-entendres that left little to the imagination, pushing the envelope of what was considered acceptable in the '50s. His songs were sometimes banned on the radio, but that only made him an even bigger jukebox favorite among black audiences. Ballard's hard-driving, rhythmic style was also an underappreciated influence on the rawer side of R&B, particularly on a young James Brown; plus, his composition "The Twist" -- recorded for a hit by Chubby Checker -- became one of the biggest hits in rock & roll history.
Hank Ballard was born November 18, 1927 (according to his birth records) in Detroit, but moved to Bessemer, AL, as a young child following his father's death. There he began singing in church and when he returned to Detroit at age 15, he set about forming a doo wop group while working on the Ford assembly line. Around the same time, singers Henry Booth and Charles Sutton were organizing a doo wop outfit called the Royals, which reputedly at one time also featured Jackie Wilson and future Four Top Levi Stubbs; it eventually grew to include vocalists Lawson Smith and Sonny Woods, plus gritty guitarist Alonzo Tucker. Initially copying the smooth style of Sonny Til & the Orioles, the Royals were discovered by Johnny Otis in 1952 and signed with Federal Records. However, when Hank Ballard replaced Smith in 1953, they adopted a rougher, more hepped-up sound in keeping with Ballard's numerous original compositions and Clyde McPhatter influence. Ballard's first recording with the group was 1953's "Get It," which hit the Top Ten on the R&B charts, but it was the following year's ribald "Work With Me Annie" that really broke the group (they changed their name to the Midnighters around this time, to avoid confusion with the Five Royales). "Work With Me Annie" topped the R&B charts and nearly reached the pop Top 20, despite a number of radio stations refusing to air the song. It inspired a number of answer records and the Midnighters themselves entered the fray with the sequels "Annie Had a Baby" (another R&B chart-topper) and "Annie's Aunt Fannie." They also scored another major smash with the Ballard-penned "Sexy Ways," which solidified their reputation as R&B's most risqu' act.
However, after the momentum of "Work With Me Annie" slowed, the Midnighters seemed at a loss as to how to recapture it. They went nearly three and a half years without another big hit, and with the decline in their fortunes came numerous personnel shifts. Lawson Smith returned to the fold to replace Sutton, Norman Thrasher replaced Sonny Woods, and Tucker's guitar post was taken first by Arthur Porter, then Cal Green. Ballard attempted to take his 1958 composition "The Twist" to Vee-Jay, which declined to release the version they recorded; King, Federal's parent label, issued it as the B-side of the Midnighters' R&B comeback ballad hit "Teardrops on Your Letter" in 1959. Still, "The Twist" gained some notice and found a fan in American Bandstand host Dick Clark, who brought the song to Chubby Checker's attention; the rest was history, as "The Twist" became the first song to hit number one during two completely separate chart runs. Ballard and the Midnighters benefited from the exposure, scoring their first Top Ten pop singles in 1960 with "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go." A few more R&B hits followed, generally dance-oriented songs in the vein of "The Twist," before the well dried up for a second time. The Midnighters gradually disintegrated and Ballard became a solo act; by the end of the '60s, he was working with longtime fan James Brown, who produced several singles for Ballard during the late '60s and early '70s. After a lengthy absence from music, Ballard re-formed the Midnighters during the mid-'80s, first as a female group, then male, and began touring once again. In 1990, Ballard received his due as an R&B innovator with his election into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After suffering for several years with throat cancer, Ballard died quietly at his Los Angeles home in March of 2003.
-- Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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01. Open Up The Back Door 02. In The Doorway Crying 03. Oh So Happy 04. Let 'Em Roll 05. E Basta Cosi 06. Stay By My Side |
07. Daddy's Little Baby 08. Partners For Life 09. Is Your Love For Real? 10. What Made You Change Your Mind 11. Let Me Hold Your Hand 12. Early One Morning |
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01. Teardrops On Your Letter 02. Ring-A-Ling-A-Ling 03. Let Me Hold Your Hand 04. Don't Say Your Last Goodbye 05. Whatsonever You Do 06. Stingy Little Thing 07. Ashamed Of Myself |
08. The Twist 09. That House On The Hill 10. Sweet Mama, Do Right 11. Ooh Bah Baby 12. Tell Them 13. Rock & Roll Wedding 14. I'll Be Home Someday |
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01. Hello Miss Fine 02. I Feel That-A-Way 03. Sexy Ways 04. Don't Say Your Last Goodbye 05. Ashamed Of Myself 06. Work With Me Annie 07. I'll Be Home Someday 08. Give It Up |
09. Until I Die 10. Henry's Got Flat Feet 11. Why Are We Apart 12. Annie Had A Baby 13. Annie's Aunt Fannie 14. Partners For Life 15. She's The One 16. Tell Them |
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01. Look At Little Sister 02. Waiting 03. Never Knew 04. Don't Go, I Love You 05. Young Lady 06. Give It Up |
07. Finger Poppin' Time 08. The Coffee Grind 09. I Said I Wouldn't Bet You 10. I Could Love You 11. Why Are We Apart? 12. I Love You, I Love You So-o-o |
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01. Sugaree 02. Rain Down Tears 03. Cute Little Ways 04. House With No Windows 05. Everybody Does Wrong Some Time 06. So Good To Be Home |
07. Kansas City 08. I'll Keep You Happy 09. I'm Crying Mercy, Mercy 10. She's Got A Whole Lot Of Soul 11. I'll Pray For You 12. Move, Move, Move |
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01. Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go 02. Mona Lisa 03. When I Need You 04. Goodbye ' So Long 05. I Must Be Crazy 06. Just One More Chance |
07. The Hoochi Coochi Coo 08. If You'd Forgive Me 09. Summertime 10. I'm Sick Of You 11. I'm Thinking Of You 12. These Young Girls |
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01. Let's Get The Show On The Road 02. Knock On Wood 03. Somebody's Got To Help Me 04. That's Your Mistake 05. Handwriting On The Wall 06. You Don't Have To Cry |
07. Watch What I Tell You 08. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show 09. I Done It 10. Seven Nights To Rock 11. Everybody Does Wrong Some Time 12. Winner Never Quits |
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01. How You Gonna Get Respect 02. Teardrops On Your Letter 03. You're So Sexy 04. Funky Soul Train 05. Slip Away 06. Which Way Should I Turn 07. With Your Sweet Lovin' Self 08. Are You Lonely For Me Baby 09. Thrill On The Hill |
10. Woman Is A Man's Best Friend 11. Unwind Yourself 12. Come In Wit It 13. Butter Your Popcorn 14. Blackenized 15. Annie Had A Baby 16. Finger Poppin' Time 17. From The Love Side |
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01. Get It 02. Work With Me Annie 03. Sexy Ways 04. Annie Had A Baby 05. Annie's Aunt Fannie 06. Henry's Got Flat Feet 07. It's Love Baby (24 hours a day) 08. Open Up The Back Door 09. Tore Up Over You 10. Teardrops On Your Letter |
11. The Twist 12. Sugaree 13. Never Knew 14. Look At Little Sister 15. Finger Poppin' Time 16. Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go 17. Let's Go Again 18. The Continental Walk 19. The Switch-A-Roo 20. Nothing But Good |
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01. Down And Dirty Twist 02. The Sky Is Crying 03. Keep That Fat (right where it's at) 04. I Never Touched Your Heart 05. Naked In The Rain |
06. You Put Something On My Mind 07. When I Need You 08. Trouble Shoes 09. Catch On Fire 10. Jamming In New Orleans |
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01. How Did We Get (from love to tears) 02. Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy 03. I Ran Nekked In The Rain 04. Too Bad Boys 05. Shake Whatcha Momma Gave Ya |
06. Crazy To Be So Too In Love 07. Class Act 08. On The Money 09. Women Are Made For Lovin' 10. Let's Go Again |
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01. Starting From Tonight 02. Every Beat Of My Heart 03. Moonrise 04. Fifth Street Blues 05. Get It 06. I Feel That-A-Way 07. Work With Me Annie 08. Sexy Ways 09. Annie Had A Baby 10. Annie's Aunt Fannie 11. Ring A-Ling A-Ling 12. Henry's Got Flat Feet 13. It's Love Baby (24 hours a day) |
14. Rock And Roll Wedding 15. That House On The Hill 16. Open Up The Back Door 17. Sweet Mama Do Right 18. Rock, Granny Roll 19. Tore Up Over You 20. Come On And Get It 21. In The Doorway Crying 22. What Made You Change Your Mind 23. Let 'Em Roll 24. Daddy's Little Baby 25. Stay By My side |
