DESCRIPTION:
Hank Ballard is credited as being one of the first rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s. He later wrote and recorded "The Twist" and invented the dance, which was notably covered by Chubby Checker. In 1953, Ballard joined the doo-wop group, The Royals, replacing previous singer Lawson Smith. The group later changed its name to The Midnighters to avoid confusion with The "5" Royales. In 1959, the group was billed as "Hank Ballard and The Midnighters" with their label changed from Federal to King. Ballard & the Midnighters had several hit singles through 1961, including the Grammy-nominated "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" which hit number 7 and number 6, respectively, on the Billboard pop charts. The group broke up in 1965. In the mid-1980s, Ballard re-formed The Midnighters and the group performed till 2002.