Hank Ballard and the Midnighters

HANK BALLARD AND THE MIDNIGHTERS
 
 
Hank Ballard  (born John Henry Kendricks; November 18, 1927 – March 2, 2003) was a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and the Midnighters and one of the first rock and roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s.  He played an integral part in the development of the genre, releasing the hit singles “Work With Me, Annie” and answer songs “Annie Had a Baby” and “Annie’s Aunt Fannie” with his Midnighters.  He later wrote and recorded “The Twist” which spread the popularity of the dance and was notably covered by Chubby Checker.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
Rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley was from Detroit; in 1955, “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets was the first big rock and roll hit. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters had a crossover R&B hit in 1954 with “Work with Me, Annie”; this band also recorded the original version of “The Twist” in 1959 as a B-side that Chubby Checker catapulted to a nationwide craze the following year. More recently, the White Stripes is one of the primary bands that ignited the Garage Rock Revival of the early 2000’s, among a host of other like-minded Detroit groups. 
(March 2016)
Last edited: March 22, 2021