"Finger Poppin' Time" is a song written by

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 inte ...

and performed by

The Midnighters The Midnighters were an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan. They were an influential group in the 1950s and early 1960s, with many R&B hit records. They were also notable for launching the career of lead singer Hank Ballard and the wo ...

. It reached #2 on the U.S. R&B chart and #7 on the U.S. pop chart in 1960. It was featured on their 1960 album ''Mr. Rhythm and Blues''. Ballard re-released a version of the song in 1972 as a single, but it did not chart. The song was nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

in 1961, losing to " Let the Good Times Roll" by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. The song ranked #49 on ''Billboard'' magazine's Top 100 singles of 1960.

Other versions

The Stanley Brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph and Carter perform ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1960, but it did not chart. * Hello People featuring

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...

released a version of the song on their 1974 album ''The Handsome Devils''. *

Lou Ann Barton Lou Ann Barton (born February 17, 1954) is an American blues singer based in Austin, Texas since the 1970s. AllMusic noted that "The grace, poise, and confidence she projects on-stage is part of a long tradition for women blues singers". Biogr ...

featuring The Flemtones released a version of the song on her 1982 album ''Old Enough''.

In popular culture

*The song was mentioned in the 1974 song " Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion. *Ballard's version was featured in the 1984 film ''

The Flamingo Kid ''The Flamingo Kid'' is a 1984 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and produced by Michael Phillips. It stars Matt Dillon, Richard Crenna, Héctor Elizondo and Jessica Walter. The film tells the story of a working class boy ...

''. *The song was also heard in the 1993 film ''

The Sandlot ''The Sandlot'' (released in some countries as ''The Sandlot Kids'') is a 1993 American coming-of-age sports comedy film co-written, directed, and narrated by David Mickey Evans. It tells the story of a group of young baseball players during the s ...

References

1960 songs 1960 singles 1972 singles Songs written by Hank Ballard Hank Ballard songs Hank Ballard & the Midnighters songs The Stanley Brothers songs Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler King Records (United States) singles {{1960s-single-stub