From: philip.davies Date: Mon Nov 18, 2002 12:42 am - UPDATED 6 JANUARY 2004 Subject: Born To Be With You - Hank Ballard HANK BALLARD Born Henry Ballard, November 18th 1936, Detroit, Michigan Died 2 March 2003, Los Angeles, CA Hank Ballard moved to Bessemer, Alabama, as a young child following his father's death. There he began singing in church. He returned to Detroit at age 15 and set about forming a doo wop group whilst working on the Ford assembly line. Around the same time, singers Henry Booth and Charlie Sutton were organizing a doo wop outfit called The Royals (which reputedly at one time also featured Jackie Wilson and Levi Stubbs). It eventually grew to include vocalists and Sonny Woods plus guitarist Alonzo Tucker. Initially they copied the smooth style of the Orioles.The Royals were recommended to Syd Nathan by Johnny Otis 1952 and signed with Nathan's Federal Records. However, when Hank Ballard joined in 1953, they adopted a more rocking 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 no.6 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 5 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 they 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 great Ballard-penned Sexy Ways. However, after the momentum of Work With Me Annie slowed, they 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. Smith returned to the fold and Tucker's guitar post was taken first by Art Porter,and then Cal Green. Buddy Holly gave Hank a nod of respect by including Annie in his great Midnight Shift opus and Jerry Lee has covered Sexy Ways. They moved from subsidiary label Federal to main label King, and they were now named Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. Ballard attempted to take his 1958 composition The Twist to Vee-Jay, which declined to release the version they recorded; King, issued it as the B-side of R&B comeback ballad top 4 hit Teardrops on Your Letter in 1959. Dick Clark perhaps remembering the risqué earlier hits got clean cut Ernest Evans aka Chubby Checker to cover the Twist with mega international success. Fine uptempo rockers like Kansas City and Marty Robbins classic Sugaree failed to click, twas the dark Philly teen idol era. Ballard benefited from the exposure, the band scoring their first Top Ten pop singles in 1960 with the great Finger Poppin' Time and Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go. A few more R&B hits followed like The Hoochi Coochi Coo, Let's Go Again and The Float, before the well dried up for a second time. Ironically, Hank's cousin Florence was a member of the mega successful Supremes during this period. The band gradually disintegrated and Ballard became a solo act around 1965; by the end of the '60s, he was working with long time fan,(and fellow King artist) James Brown,who produced several singles for Ballard during the late '60s. The less said about 74's desperate Let's Go Streaking the better. After a lengthy absence from music, Ballard re-formed Midnighters during the mid-'80s, first as a female group, then male, and began touring once again. They cut a live album in London for Charly Records with a great fanfare of publicity and a much hyped twist contest, Charly also issued a fine Ballard Federal/King lp & cd, now deleted. Hopefully one day we'll see Hank and the boys headlining at Hemsby or the Rhythm Riot. In 1990, Ballard was elected into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Recent years have seen some thoughtfully compiled cds of his best work, there's enough ggod stuff to warrant a box set, perhaps we'll have to wait a few years until Proper gets round to it! Phil Davies (thanks to the All Music Guide article by Steve Huey) Recommended Listening Sexy Ways, best of Hank Ballard & Midnighters, Rhino Hank Ballard EP Collection Plus – SFM V Best Of Hank Ballard & Midnighters – Collectables -and to a lesser extent 24 Hit Tunes – King (1988 Highland Music issue) ( often seen in cheapo boxes, check that it has the 24 cuts as some earlier copies didn't)NB Highland also reissued the old 12 track King lps onto cd, so-so sound but can be found at bargain prices Dancin' & Twistin - Ace ( too many 60s sides for my taste) Live At The Palais, London – Charly Recommended reading, Doo wop Nation e-zine has detailed info http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/midnighters.html Jim Dawson – The Twist- Ff, excellent read, putting Mr Clark in his place