Singer, Songwriter. He was discovered in the early 1950s by writer-producer Johnny Otis as the lead singer of "The Royals." By the early 1960s, he had charted 22 singles on the rhythm and blues charts, including "Work With Me Annie," the biggest R&B hit of 1954, selling more than 1 million copies. In 1958, he wrote and recorded "The Twist," but it was only released on the "B" side of a record. One year later, Chubby Checker debuted his own version and it became an instant hit. His musical group, "Hank Ballard and the Midnighters" had several other hit singles, including the Grammy-nominated "Finger Poppin' Time" in 1960 and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" in 1960, which hit number 7 and number 6, respectively, on the Billboard pop charts. The group disbanded in 1965 and he started a less-successful solo career. In 1990, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died of throat cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 75.
Singer, Songwriter. He was discovered in the early 1950s by writer-producer Johnny Otis as the lead singer of "The Royals." By the early 1960s, he had charted 22 singles on the rhythm and blues charts, including "Work With Me Annie," the biggest R&B hit of 1954, selling more than 1 million copies. In 1958, he wrote and recorded "The Twist," but it was only released on the "B" side of a record. One year later, Chubby Checker debuted his own version and it became an instant hit. His musical group, "Hank Ballard and the Midnighters" had several other hit singles, including the Grammy-nominated "Finger Poppin' Time" in 1960 and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" in 1960, which hit number 7 and number 6, respectively, on the Billboard pop charts. The group disbanded in 1965 and he started a less-successful solo career. In 1990, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died of throat cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 75.
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John Henry Kendricks
PVT US Army
Lovingly Known As Hank Ballard
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