 HANK BALLARD - YOU CANT KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN- JAMES BROWN SESSIONS
Hank Ballard was working on the Ford Motor assembly line in Detroit before being spotted by Johnny Otis at a talent contest. He achieved great success in the mid 1950’s firstly with the Royals and then with the Midnighters with whom he topped the R&B charts with songs like ‘Work With Me Annie’ (the biggest selling R&B track in 1954 selling over a million copies)and ‘Annie Had A Baby’. He wrote and originally recorded ‘The Twist’ in 1959, but it was Chubby Checker who had the big hit with it a year later. By the late 60’s the Midnighters run out hits had finished and Hank joined his long time friend and label mate James Brown.
James produced Hank’s ‘You Cant Keep A Good Man’ album for King in 1968, and the funkier tracks
have Brown’s sound stamped all over them. ‘How You Gonna Get Respect’ featuring instrumentation from the Dapps has a very similar backing track to ‘Lickin Stick’. ‘Unwind Yourself’ was also recorded by Marva Whitney and ‘Funky Soul Train by Bobby Byrd, ‘Come On Wit’ It’ and ‘With Your Sweet Lovin Self’ are classic late 60’s Brown grooves.
Hank was a great balladeer and the slower tracks on this album bare testimony to that. His gospel tinged bluesy voice can be heard to its best effect on these sides.
Of the bonus tracks ‘Blackenized’ has a great jazzy groove and the black consciousness lyrics that James was writing at the time, after his big hit ‘Say it Loud’ and ‘Butter Your Popcorn’ is another great JB funky track. After King folded Hank recorded a couple of sides for James’ People label , funky re-incarnations of his 50’s/60’s hits ‘Annie Had A baby’ and ‘Finger Poppin Time’ and then his classic ‘From The Love Side’ for Polydor in 1972.which was based on the rhythm track of Marva Whitney’s earlier ‘I Made A Mistake’.
Hank appeared on James Brown’s ‘Get on The Good Foot’ album, and later recorded disco tracks for Sylvia Robinson’s Stang label and also for Le Joint. He was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990 and he died in 2003.
Laurence Prangell
June 2008.
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