Ballard, Hank

• John Henry Kendricks

Rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Hank Ballard (born John Henry Kendricks), born in Detroit, was one of the first rock ‘n roll singers of the 1950s. His father, Dove Ballard, died when he was seven and he and his brother went to live with his paternal aunt’s strict religious family in Bessemer, Alabama. He began singing gospel in t he church choir and was influenced by the country singing of Gene Autry. At the age of 15 he moved back to Detroit and began working for the Ford Motor Company. One of his co-workers was a member of a singing group, the Royals, and was impressed by Ballard’s baritone-tenor singing in the assembly line; he persuaded him to join the group in 1953. Not wishing to be confused with another group known as the Royales, they changed their name to the “Midnighters.” In 1954 Ballard wrote a song for the group entitled “Work with me, Annie” that was number one on the R & B list of hits for seven weeks; however, the FCC considered it too sexually suggestive and banned their “Annie” sequels from radio. Following their success, the group changed its name to “Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.” In 1959, Ballard wrote and recorded “The Twist” which caught the attention of Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand, the Philadelphia-based television show. Clark invited the group to perform but they were unable; instead, he asked Chubby Checker to cover it, and Checker went on to become a sensation in 1960 and again in 1962. This was the only R & B song ever to hit number one on the charts for two non-consecutive years. The group had several hit singles in 1962 but they broke up in 1965, and Ballard began a solo career. He appeared several times on James Brown’s Revue and recorded several tracks, including a duet on a James Brown album in 1972. He dropped from view for a while, then revived the Midnighters, first as a female group, then male. They performed and made some tours until 2002.