Today in 1960 Hank Ballard refused to perform ‘The Twist’ on a highly rated US TV show with his band The Midnighters, so Chubby Checker picked it up at the insistence of Dick Clark, and Checker’s version of the song was number 1 this week in 1960. It made No.14 in the UK in 1962, a version with The Fat Boys made No.2 in the UK in 1988.
Hank Ballard and The Midnighters had the honor of being the first group to have three songs in the US Top 100 at the same time. ‘Finger Poppin’ Time,’ ‘Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go’ and ‘The Twist’ all made the Top 30. Chubby Checker took the stage, and the song went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Twist’.
They were a popular and successful Detroit R & B group during the 1950s. Between 1953 and 1961, the group hit the pop chart 13 times and scored 14 Top 10 R&B hits, including the trio of No. 1 songs — “Work With Me Annie,” “Annie Had A Baby” and “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go.” Their suggestive lyrics, rhythmic style, and soulful harmonies, coupled with Ballard’s songwriting and powerful lead, made them an influential force in the industry.
“There’s no medicine out there as great as music.There’s something about music that’s just therapeutic. If you’re looking for youth, you’re looking for longevity, just take a dose of rock ’n’ roll.”
Hank Ballard, 1996
Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK No.1 single today in 1969 with ‘Bad Moon Rising’ a US No.2 hit. Also on this day, the group started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Green River.’
The world still mourns Cass Elliott, singer, Mamas and the Papas, who scored the 1966 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘Monday Monday’. Born as Ellen Naomi Cohen, the last name ‘Elliot’ was in memory of a deceased friend of hers. She would be 77 years young today. Cass Elliot hated being referred to as Mama Cass, yet to this day we remember her like that.
After the breakup of The Mamas & the Papas, Elliot embarked on a solo career and had the 1968 hit ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’ from her solo album of the same name. Elliott died from a heart attack on 29th July 1974 while staying at Harry Nilsson’s London flat in the UK.
Elliot later collaborated with Michelle and John Phillips, forming the group the Mamas & the Papas in the mid-1960s. This group came up with some major hits, including “Words of Love”, “California Dreamin” and “Monday, Monday”. After the group’s disbanding, she released five solo albums. She also acted in both small and big-screen projects, including ‘Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery’.
The actress/singer married twice in her lifetime and had one daughter. On July 29, 1974, she breathed her last at her London flat.
Later, an autopsy by Keith Simpson declared that the singer had died because of a heart attack. She was just 32. She died in the same room in London, where popular drummer Keith Moon would die four years later. They buried her at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. In 1998, they posthumously inducted Mama Cass into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her contribution to the Mamas & the Papas.
The Swedish artist Marit Bergman recorded the track “Mama, I Remember You Now” as a tribute to the late singer. Crosby, Stills & Nash released the video “Daylight Again” and the “Greatest Hits” album to honor Elliot in 1982 and 2005, respectively.
In 2010 John Lennon‘s son Julian told the press that he has ended his long-running feud with his half-brother Sean and his step-mother Yoko Ono. The fight started after they murdered the former Beatle in December 1980. The trio battled in court for a share of the singer’s estate, but Julian now said, “Things are good between us. Whenever I’m in New York, we all get together.”
Cher was sued on this day in 2014.
A dance choreographer sued Cher for racial discrimination, claiming the singer stopped him hiring any more black dancers. Kevin Wilson alleged Cher told him the tour had “too much color” already. Mr. Wilson and two other dancers also alleged being fired for reporting a sexual assault on a female fan by another dancer. Cher’s long-running North American D2K (Dressed to Kill) ranked one of the top 10-grossing tours of 2014 by Pollstar.
Photo courtesy Todd Baptista. The “Work With Me, Annie” era of Royals/Midnighters in 1954 was (top, from left) Charles Sutton, Sonny Wood, and Lawson Smith and (bottom, from left) guitarist Arthur Porter and Hank Ballard.
