- Finger Poppin' Time (Remastered) - Single · 2011
- Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - Their Very Best - EP · 1957
- Classics 1952 -1954 · 2005
- Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go (Remastered) - Single · 2008
- Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - Their Very Best - EP · 1957
- James Brown's Funky People, Pt. 2 · 1988
- 20 Best of Doo Wop · 1960
- Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - Their Very Best - EP · 1957
- James Brown's Funky People, Pt. 3 · 2000
- 20 Re-Energized Hits: 1958 · 2009
- 20 Greatest Hits: 1961 · 1987
- Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - Their Very Best - EP · 1957
- Classics 1952 -1954 · 2002
Albums
- 2007
Compilations
- 1996
About Hank Ballard
A crucial link between rhythm & blues and early rock & roll during the 1950s, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters' songs may have been rooted in the high-energy spirituals of gospel, but looked to far earthier inspirations for most of their subject matter. While Ballard’s lascivious lyrics and hard-charging doo wop style were considered too risqué for mainstream radio, songs like “Work with Me Annie” and “Sexy Ways” made them darlings of the so-called “chitlin’ circuit” (entertainment venues that attracted largely African-American audiences). In 1960, Chubby Checker’s cover version of a Ballard B-side, “The Twist,” catapulted to number one on the pop charts, bringing renewed interest in the Midnighters for a time. The acclaim was short-lived, however, and the group disbanded in 1965. In coming decades, Ballard tried launching a solo career and new lineups of the Midnighters with little success, eventually succumbing to throat cancer in 2003.
- HOMETOWN
- Detroit, MI, United States
- BORN
- November 18, 1927
- GENRE
- R&B/Soul