Harlem

Hank Ballard & The Midnighters

Hank Ballard got his big break in 1953 when he joined a local Detroit group called The Royals. Almost immediately, they changed their name to The Midnighters so they wouldn’t be confused with The Five Royales, another popular R&B; group of the day. The Midnighters would go on to have many #1 R&B; records including the extremely influential, dirty and controversial “Work With Me Annie” from 1954. This week Matt The Cat digs up some of The Midnighters most important sides and gives ’em a spin on the show that solutes early 50s rhythm and blues; HARLEM.

Harlem Airs on the 50s on 5:
Monday Afternoon 10/23 @ 1pm over Stowe, VT
Tuesday Night 10/24 @ 9pm PST & Midnight EST
Friday Night 10/27 @ 6pm over Ipswich, MA
Sunday Morning 10/29 @ 11am over High Point, NC

This week HARLEM takes a look at the first true casualty of Rock n’ Roll, Johnny Ace. He was one of the most promising young R&B; talents of the early to mid 1950s until he died under very mysterious circumstances on Christmas Day, 1954 in Houston, TX. You’ll hear several of his top R&B; hits plus the story behind the story of the late, great Johnny Ace, this week on HARLEM.

Harlem Airs on the 50s on 5:
Monday 10/16 @ 1pm over Boston
Tuesday Night 10/17 at 9pm over LA & Midnight over NYC
Friday 10/20 at 6pm over Philadelphia
Sunday Morning 10/22 at 11am over Ocean Beach, NJ

Don’t forget that Johnny Ace was such a signature figure that Paul Simon used his death as a metaphor for the murder of John Lennon in his song, “The Late Great Johnny Ace”.

-MTC