Hank Ballard

Hank Ballard earned distinction as a rock pioneer by laying sexually explicit lyrics over raw gospel-derived rhythms. With his backup group the Midnighters, he recorded several successful sides for the King label in the early '50s. In his best year, 1954, he had three R&B Top 10 hits with the "Annie" trilogy - "Work With Me, Annie," "Annie Had a Baby," and "Annie's Aunt Fanny" - each of which sold...