MUSICIAN

Hank Ballard

1927 - 2003

Photo of Hank Ballard

Icon of person Hank Ballard

Hank Ballard (born John Henry Kendricks; November 18, 1927 – March 2, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of the Midnighters and one of the first rock and roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s. He played an integral part in the development of the genre, releasing the hit singles "Work with Me, Annie" and answer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie" with his Midnighters. He later wrote and originally recorded (in 1959) "The Twist" which was notably covered a year later by Chubby Checker, this second version spreading the popularity of the dance. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Hank Ballard has received more than 467,747 page views. His biography is available in 18 different languages on Wikipedia. Hank Ballard is the 2,163rd most popular musician (down from 2,069th in 2019), the 11,469th most popular biography from United States (down from 10,806th in 2019) and the 868th most popular American Musician.

Memorability Metrics

  • 470k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 41.77

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 18

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.15

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.38

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Hank Ballard ranks 2,163 out of 3,175Before him are Bela B., Jim Byrnes, Ellie Goulding, Roine Stolt, Bob Kulick, and Dale Crover. After him are Marcella Detroit, DJ Antoine, Chris Wolstenholme, Joakim Brodén, Gerry Marsden, and Larry Young.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1927, Hank Ballard ranks 451Before him are Sada Thompson, Abby Mann, Malcolm Allison, Porter Wagoner, Alan Geldard, and Cleo Laine. After him are Beatrice Ohanessian, Sahana Pradhan, Bill McGarry, Ann Gillis, Harry Gallatin, and Guy Mitchell. Among people deceased in 2003, Hank Ballard ranks 346Before him are Fritz Spengler, Steve O'Rourke, C. Douglas Dillon, Bill Bright, Lou Harrison, and Kathleen Raine. After him are Franklin Farrell, David Kelly, Robert Detweiler, Erland Herkenrath, Malik Meraj Khalid, and Juha Tiainen.

Others Born in 1927

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Others Deceased in 2003

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Hank Ballard ranks 11,469 out of 20,380Before him are Drew Fuller (1980), Pat Conroy (1945), Andy Dick (1965), Rod Milburn (1950), Sepp Kuss (1994), and Mary Ritter Beard (1876). After him are Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876), Jason Behr (1973), Arthur Kopit (1937), John McCloskey (1810), Michael Burry (1971), and Janelle Monáe (1985).

Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Hank Ballard ranks 868Before him are David "Honeyboy" Edwards (1915), Chris Botti (1962), Johnny Van Zant (1960), Jim Byrnes (1948), Bob Kulick (1950), and Dale Crover (1967). After him are Marcella Detroit (1952), Larry Young (1940), Tom Paxton (1937), Oscar Levant (1906), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (1969), and Louie Bellson (1924).