Chubby Checker and the wildcats
Saturday, September 9 at 7:30 pm
Doors Open: 6:30 pm
Show at 7:30 pm
In June of 1959, Chubby recorded "The Twist". Bernie Lowe, president of Cameo Parkway records was not initially impressed with Chubby's recording and felt it may be a "B" side at best. However, Chubby felt "The Twist" was something special and worked hard promoting the record by undertaking non-stop rounds of TV dates, interviews and live performances. Fourteen months later, in the summer of 1960, "The Twist" was a hit.
"The Twist" was not only the #1 song but it introduced the concept of "dancing apart to the beat". Over the next few years, endless songs incorporating "The Twist" into its name sprang up such as "Peppermint Twist", "Twist and Shout" and "Twistin' the Night Away". In addition, each new song brought a new dance involving "dancing apart to the beat" such as "The Jerk", "The Hully Gully", "The Boogaloo" and "The Shake". At the forefront was Chubby with "The Fly", "The Pony" and "The Hucklebuck".
In the fall of 1961, record industry history was made when Checker's original hit record, "The Twist", re-entered the charts and by January of 1962, it was back in the #1 position. No other record before or since has accomplished that feat. Combining its 1960 run with its 1961/62 return, "The Twist" spent an amazing nine month total on the U. S. best seller charts.
What keeps this artist going? According to Chubby, "It's the fans. The energy I get from singing and dancing with all these people over the years is unlike anything else I experience. I never want it to end." Neither do we!
Chubby Checker - the only artist to have 5 albums in the Top 12 all at once.
Chubby Checker First Platinum - "Let's Twist Again".
Chubby Checker - the only artist to have a song to be #1 twice - "The Twist".
Chubby Checker - the only artist to have 9 Double-Sided Hits.
Chubby Checker - changed the way we dance to the beat 24/7 since 1959.