Jane's Artist Spotlight: Chubby Checker
This
Wednesday, the spotlight is on American star Chubby Checker, who inspired many
famous dance moves including The
Twist.
On this day in music history in 1962, Chubby Checker's ‘The Twist’ reached number one on the Billboard chart - for a second time. Another remarkable thing is that it is reportedly the only Rock record by the same artist to ever accomplish that feat.
Chubby Checker, whose real name is Ernest Evans, was born on 3 October 1941 and made his music debut in 1959. His first single, ‘The Class’, became a massive hit and reached #38 on the charts in the US.
But what made Checker even more famous was his cover of ‘The Twist’ - a song by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters.His version topped the Billboard Hot 100 twice. It also inspired ‘The Twist’ dance craze which became popular all over the world. It was voted the most popular song in the history of the Billboard 100 in 2008 and 2013.
Another famous song from the star is 'Loddy Lo'. The single’s original singers are Dave Appell and Kal Mann. It was released in 1963, but Checker’s version gave the song a fresh twist.
Checker released 'Dancin’ Party' in 1961 and the song also became a massive hit.
The star will always be celebrated as the man who popularised the Limbo, Twist, and the Pony dances.
Listen to East Coast Gold at 12pm today for the Artist Spotlight feature where Jane will feature three songs from the star.
Image courtesy of YouTube screenshot.
Award-winning East Coast Gold plays Classic Hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Listen to East Coast Gold via the ECR app or here. We’re also on various other platforms, including Alexa (just enable the ‘East Coast Gold’ skill); MyTuner, Radio Garden; iono.fm, Radioline or OpenRadio.
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