Let's Go See About This Mess

The Midnighters, 1955 (l-r: Sonny Woods, Lawson Smith, Cal Green, Henry Booth, Hank Ballard)

Mama always said nothing good ever happens after midnight. That’s when the ne’er-do-wells start their tomfoolery; when the hoodlums run amok; when your best friend sneaks off with your sweetheart. Windows and hearts get broken, shots are fired. Houses, loves, and lives go down in flames. But there’s a thrill up on the hill. So put on your pretty red dress and let’s go see about this mess.

By 1954, the Roya...