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Chubby Checker is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song "The Twist", and the pony dance style with the 1961 cover of the song "Pony Time". His biggest UK hit, "Let's Twist Again", was released one year later ; that year, he also popularized the song "Limbo Rock", originally a previous-year instrumental hit by the Champs to which he added lyrics, and its trademark Limbo dance, as well as other dance styles such as The Fly. In September 2008, "The Twist" topped Billboard's list of the most popular singles to have appeared in the Hot 100 since its debut in 1960, an honor it maintained in an August 2013 update of the list.
The twist is a dance that was inspired by rock and roll music. From 1959 to the early sixties it became a worldwide dance craze, enjoying immense popularity while drawing controversies from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Funky Chicken, but none were as popular.
The Mashed Potato is a dance move which was a popular dance craze of 1962. The dance move and mashed potato song were first made famous by James Brown in 1959 and used in his concerts regularly. It was also a dance done to songs such as Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time". The move vaguely resembles that of the twist, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian Chubby Checker. The dance was first popularized internationally after being named in the lyrics of Motown's first mega-hit in the song "Do You Love Me" written by Berry Gordy Jr. and performed by The Contours in 1962.
Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 and 1958 to 1967. Among the types of music released were doo-wop, dance hits, popular/rock, rockabilly, big band, garage rock, soul and novelty records.
The Orlons are an American R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 1960. The group won gold discs for three of their singles.
David Appell was an American musician, arranger and record producer born in Philadelphia.
Dee Dee Sharp is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961.
"The Twist" is an American pop song written and originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to "Teardrops on Your Letter". It was inspired by the twist dance craze. Ballard's version was a moderate hit, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. On the US Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart, the original version of "The Twist" first peaked at number 16 in 1959 and at number six in 1960. By 1962, the record sold in excess of one million copies, becoming Ballard's fourth million seller.
Bernard Lowe was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist and bandleader.
Don't Knock the Twist is a 1962 comedy musical film starring Lang Jeffries, directed by Oscar Rudolph and produced by Sam Katzman for release by Columbia Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1961 film Twist Around the Clock, featuring musical artists including Chubby Checker.
"Mashed Potato Time" is a 1962 single written by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe, and performed by Dee Dee Sharp, with backing vocals by The Orlons, on her debut album It's Mashed Potato Time. The song refers to the Mashed Potato dance move, which was a fad. It was one of several songs that at that time that referenced the dance, another being James Brown's "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." The Marvelettes song "Please Mr. Postman" is mentioned in the lyrics and is copied in the arrangement. Also mentioned in the lyrics are the songs "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens and "Dear Lady Twist" by Gary U.S. Bonds. Sharp recorded a sequel to "Mashed Potato Time" called "Gravy ".
"Limbo Rock" is a popular song about limbo dancing written by Kal Mann and Billy Strange. An instrumental version was first recorded by The Champs in 1961. The first vocal version was recorded in 1962 by Chubby Checker : it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and at number one on the Cash Box charts. The Chubby Checker recording also made it to number three on the R&B charts. In Canada it reached number 7 for 2 weeks co-charting with the B-side.
"Forget Him" is a song written by Tony Hatch and released in 1963 by Bobby Rydell. The song spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 4 on January 18, 1964, while it spent 14 weeks on the United Kingdom's Record Retailer chart, reaching No. 13. The song also reached No. 3 on Billboard's Middle-Road Singles chart, No. 3 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade, No. 8 on the Irish Singles Chart, and No. 2 in Hong Kong.
"The Cha-Cha-Cha" is a song released in 1962 by Bobby Rydell.
"Slow Twistin'" is a song written by Jon Sheldon, and recorded by American rock and roll musicians Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharp. Released as a single in 1962, it peaked at number 3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B singles chart. In Canada it reached number 18.
"Dear Lady Twist" is a song written and produced by Frank Guida, and performed by Gary U.S. Bonds. It reached #5 on the U.S. R&B chart and #9 on the U.S. pop chart in 1962. It was featured on his 1962 album Twist Up Calypso.
"Ride!" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell and performed by Dee Dee Sharp. It was featured on the 1963 album All the Hits . The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.
"The Wah-Watusi" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell and performed by The Orlons. It reached No.2 on the U.S. pop chart behind Bobby Vinton's "Roses Are Red ", No.5 on the U.S. R&B chart, and No. 12 in Canada in 1962. It was featured on their 1962 album The Wah-Watusi.
Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker is a studio album by Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker which was released in 1960.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Dee Dee Sharp – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade results". Archived from the original on 2006-07-17.
- ↑ "RPM Play Sheet - December 20, 1965" (PDF).
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 494. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ "DEE DEE SHARP – full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - April 16, 1962".
