Hank Ballard
Ballard in 1954
Background information
Birth name	John Henry Kendricks
Born	(1927-11-18)November 18, 1927[1] Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	March 2, 2003(2003-03-02) (aged 75) Los Angeles, U.S.
Genres	Blues rock and roll R&B funk
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1951–2003
Labels	Federal,King,People,Stang
Formerly of	The Midnighters

Hank Ballard (bornJohn Henry Kendricks; November 18, 1927 – March 2, 2003)^[1] was an American singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist ofthe Midnighters and one of the firstrock 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" andanswer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie" with his Midnighters. He later wrote and originally recorded (in 1959) "The Twist" which was notably covered a year later byChubby Checker, this second version spreading the popularity of the dance.^[2] He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Born John Henry Kendricks inDetroit, Michigan, he and his brother, Dove Ballard, grew up and attended school inBessemer, Alabama, after the death of their father.^{[citation needed]} He lived with his paternal aunt and her husband, and began singing in church. His major vocal inspiration during his formative years was the "Singing Cowboy",Gene Autry, and in particular, his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again".^[3] Ballard returned to Detroit in his teens and later worked on the assembly line forFord.

In 1953, Ballard joineddoo-wop group the Royals, which had previously been discovered byJohnny Otis and signed toFederal Records (a division ofKing Records), inCincinnati. Ballard joined Henry Booth, Charles Sutton, Sonny Woods and Alonzo Tucker in the group, replacing previous singer Lawson Smith.

The Royals released "Get It" (1953), an R&B song with possibly sexually oriented lyrics, which some radio stations refused to play,^[4] although it still made it to number 6 on the USBillboardR&Bchart.

The group then changed its name to the Midnighters to avoid confusion withthe "5" Royales.^[5] In 1954, Ballard wrote a song called "Work with Me, Annie" that was drawn from "Get It".^[4] It became the Midnighters' first major R&B hit, spending seven weeks at number 1 on the R&B chart and also selling well in mainstream markets, along with theanswer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie"; all were banned by the FCC from radio air play.^[6] Their third major hit was "Sexy Ways", a song that cemented the band's reputation as one of the most risqué groups of the time.^[4]

They had four other R&B chart hits in 1954–55, but no others until 1959, by which time the group was billed as "Hank Ballard and The Midnighters" with their label changed from Federal to King, the parent label. Between 1959 and 1961 they had several more both on the R&B and Pop charts, starting with "Teardrops on Your Letter", a number 4 R&B hit in 1959, that had as itsB-side the Ballard-written song "The Twist". A few months later,Chubby Checker'scover version of the song went to number 1 on theHot 100 chart. It would return to the top of the charts again in 1962^[2] – the only song in the rock and roll era to reach number 1 in two different non-consecutive years.

Ballard and the Midnighters had several other hit singles in the early 1960s, including the Grammy-nominated "Finger Poppin' Time" (1960) and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" (1960) which hit number 7 and number 6, respectively, on theBillboard pop chart. They did not reach the charts again after 1962 and dissolved in 1965.

After the Midnighters disbanded, Ballard launched a solo career. His 1968 single, "How You Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven't Cut Your Process Yet)", was his biggest post-Midnighters hit, peaking at number 15 on the R&B chart.James Brown produced Ballard's 1969 albumYou Can't Keep a Good Man Down. A 1972 single, "From the Love Side", credited to Hank Ballard and the Midnight Lighters, went to number 43 on the R&B chart. Ballard also appeared on Brown's 1972 albumGet on the Good Foot, on two tracks, "Recitation By Hank Ballard", that features Ballard describing Brown and the album, and “Funky Side of Town”, in duet, with James Brown.

One-off sides, "Sunday Morning, Coming Down", and "I'm a Junkie for My Baby's Love", followed in the 1970s. He had some more upbeat releases in the mid-1970s, including "Hey There Sexy Lady" and "Let’s Go Streaking", as well as a beat ballad, "Love On Love". In 1979, he had moderate success with the disco number, "Freak Your Boom-Boom".

During the 1960s, Ballard's cousin,Florence Ballard, was a member of the Detroit girl groupthe Supremes.^[7] In the mid-1980s, Ballard re-formed The Midnighters and the group performed until 2002.

On March 2, 2003, he died at age 75 ofthroat cancer in his Los Angeles home.^[8] He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery inAtlanta, Georgia.

In 1990, Ballard was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame; the other Midnighters were inducted in 2012.^[9]

In 2010, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters were voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.^[10]

Ballard was the great uncle ofNFL playerChristian Ballard.^{[citation needed]} He was a cousin of originalSupremes memberFlorence Ballard.^[7]

• A Star in Your Eyes (King Records, 1964)
• You Can't Keep a Good Man Down (King Records, 1968)
• Hanging with Hank (Stang Records, 1976)

• Note: Credited asHank Ballard and the Midnighters unless stated otherwise.

• A history ofThe Midnighters
• Allmusic profile
• Hank Ballard atFind a Grave
• Discography at Soulfulkindamusic
• Radio interview, WFMU, 1988 at theWayback Machine (archived June 26, 2008)
• "Hank Ballard".Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• 1927 births
• 2003 deaths
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• American funk singers
• African-American rock singers
• Rock and roll musicians
• Deaths from throat cancer in California
• Deaths from esophageal cancer in California
• Federal Records artists
• Stang Records artists
• James Brown vocalists
• The Midnighters members
• King Records artists
• Musicians from Detroit
• People from Bessemer, Alabama

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from April 2015
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011
• Articles with unsourced statements from June 2019
• Webarchive template wayback links