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Inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Michigan Connection
Hank Ballard was born November 18, 1936 in Detroit. Although he moved to
Alabama at an early age, he returned to Detroit at age fifteen.
Band
At age sixteen he formed a Doo Wop group called the Royals. The Royals
signed with King Records in 1953 and changed their name to the Midnighters.
Their original lineup was said to have also included Levi Stubbs (later of
the Four Tops) and Jackie Wilson.
Notable
Ballard is remembered for
recording a trilogy of risqué R&B tunes: "Work With Me,
Annie," "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt
Fannie." By the early 1960s, he had charted twenty-two singles on the
R&B chart.
Big Hits
"Work With Me, Annie" was the biggest R&B hit of 1954.
Ballard wrote "The Twist," later recorded by Chubby Checker.
Checker's version went to the top of the charts in both 1960 and 1962.
Find out more about Hank
Ballard and other musical Michiganians in
Makin'
Music: Michigan's
Rock & Roll Legacy. |
