Hank Ballard and the Midnighters

Boldness in the 1950’s

by Erika Cox

 

Hank Ballard and his Midnighters shook up Rock and Roll music with their risqué lyrics. Although, their lyrics are mild compared to today’s standards, their sexually explicit words caused quite a stir. Many of their songs were banned from radio stations but that didn’t stop the group from cranking out the hits.

Hank Ballard was born November 18, 1927 in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Alabama. Like many Black artists he grew up singing in church and got his start in gospel music with a few gospel groups but eventually got a full time job as a Ford assembly lineman. In 1951, Hank moved back to Detroit and formed a Doo Wop group but they had little success.

The Midnighters were originally named the Royals and consisted of Henry Booth, Charles Sutton, Sonny Woods, Alonzo Tucker, and Lawson Smith singing lead. Bandleader and scout, Johnny Otis, discovered the group while they were performing at the Paradise Theater in Detroit. Johnny recommended the group to Federal Records and the Royals signed with the label in 1951.

The group did record a song called “Every Beat of My Heart”, which wasn’t very successful for them, however, Gladys Knight and The Pips later remade it and it was a R&B hit. The Royals’ initial style was smooth and clean cut similar to the Orioles, another R&B group in the 1950’s, but changed a great deal with Hank Ballard replaced lead singer Lawson Smith in 1953.

The Dominoes lead singer, Clyde McPhatter, was a major influence on Hank Ballard. He loved the way McPhatter and the Dominoes mixed the lyrics of R&B with Gospel creating the sound of Rhythm and Gospel. Ballard grew up in church but loved R&B music and couldn’t wait for his big chance. So, when Ballard joined the Royals he brought a hard edge Rhythm and Gospel sound with raunchy, soulful lyrics.

The group’s first hit was “Get It” in 1953 it was a big R&B hit. Back in those days, the title alone was suggestive enough and although it could have had many meanings, sex was usually the popular one. In 1954, the group recorded and released their second song “Work with me Annie” and around that time changed their name to Hank Ballard and the Midnighters to avoid confusion with another R&B group called the Five Royals. The group would go on to release two follow up songs to “Annie”, “Annie Had a Baby” and “Annie’s Aunt Fanny” and to top things off the group recorded “Sexy Ways” following the Annie series.

The lyrics to these songs were suggestive and considered sexually explicit back then. The group was seen as bold and offensive. Of course, not even listening to the songs one could make that determination by just the titles alone, however, all three songs were major hits and sold over a million copies with little radio play. Most radio stations banned the songs but what followed was a series of sequels from different artists answering the “Annie” songs.

For example, Etta James’ “Roll With Me Henry” (as in Henry Ballard) and Hazel McCollum and the El Dorado’s “I ain’t had no baby”. Most of the follow up songs were also hits. Ballard and his group had infiltrated the music scene with a serious of raunchy songs that the public evidentially loved but the radio stations feared.


Ballard would go on to write songs for various artists. In 1959, he wrote a song called “The Twist” it was released after their big hit “Teardrops on your Letter” a heavy gospel based ballad that was a big R&B hit. “The Twist” did okay for the group going to number 16 on the R&B charts but Chubby Checker would later take the song to number one in 1960’s on both the R&B and Pop charts.

It was a huge hit for Chubby Checker. The group had some success in the early 1960’s with three more songs making it into the Top 40, but eventually things came to a halt by the mid’60’s. The group broke up and Ballard tried his hands at a solo career touring with James Brown. After a long absence, he tried to make a comeback in the 1980’s with a new lineup but had little success and in March 2003, Ballard died of throat cancer.

Hank Ballard and the Midnighters were able to become successful with songs that were banned and considered offensive. Yet, other artists made follow up songs to the “Annie” songs. The group opened the door for Rock and Roll music to have musical freedom and expression. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

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