On This Day in 2003, We Lost the Pen Behind the Pioneering Chubby Checker Hit That Launched a Dance Craze and a New Era for Rock and Roll

Hank Ballard is one of several icons of the early age of rock and roll who pioneered the growth of the genre. Sadly, far too many people remember him for the song that he himself didn’t make famous. Ballard was the writer and original recording artist behind the song “The Twist”. And he and The Midnighters enjoyed a bit of success from the song in 1958. However, Chubby Checker would take the song in 1960 and turn it into a massive international hit. It was one that would kickstart a new era for rock and roll.

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While most associate “The Twist” with Chubby Checker today, there are quite a few other hit rock and roll songs that can be attributed to the quiet talent of Hank Ballard. And on this day, March 2, 2003, we lost the rock singer-songwriter at the age of 75. Let’s celebrate Hank Ballard’s contributions to music history, shall we?

The Legacy of Hank Ballard

Hank Ballard was born on November 18, 1927, in Detroit, Michigan. He began singing in church as a child. And he found significant inspiration in Gene Autry’s 1939 song, “Back In The Saddle Again”. Ballard worked hard in his early years at a Ford factory before joining a doo-wop group called The Royals in 1953. His first written hit with The Royals would be “Get It” in 1953. Despite some radio stations banning the song for being sexually explicit, it went to No. 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.

After changing their name to The Midnighters, the outfit enjoyed their first major hit in 1954. The Ballard-penned song “Work With Me, Annie” was a No. 1 hit on the R&B chart. More hits followed, including “Annie Had A Baby” and “Sexy Ways”. By the late 1950s, the band was officially billed as Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. The group would continue to chart in the 1960s, including their original version of “The Twist” in 1958. Hank Ballard and The Midnighters would score a Grammy nomination for “Finger Poppin’ Time” and “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go” in 1960. After a sharp decline in popularity in 1962, the band dissolved by 1965.

Hank Ballard’s Later Years

After his time with The Midnighters, Ballard launched a successful solo career through the 1970s. Some of his hits include “How You Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven’t Cut Your Process Yet)”, “From The Love Side”, and “Recitation By Hank Ballard” (with James Brown).

In his later years, Ballard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Hank Ballard died on March 2, 2003, from complications related to throat cancer. He was 75 years old. Ballard’s contributions to rock music and music history as a whole won’t soon be forgotten.

Photo by Echoes/Redferns