Personalities | Hank Ballard | Fifties | Rock

(Bandleader, vocals, 1936–2003)

Alabama-raised Henry ‘Hank’ Ballard fronted The Midnighters (previously The Royals). 1954 brought the Detroit group four big US R&B hits with risqué lyrics about a fictitious ‘Annie’. In 1960, the group released the original version of ‘The Twist’, written by Ballard, but the younger, more photogenic Chubby Checker took the million sales and the glory. It is said that James Brown’s wild stage show was influenced by Ballard, who later worked in Brown’s revue.

Styles & Forms | Fifties | Rock
Personalities | Harry Belafonte | Fifties | Rock

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley

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