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Chubby Checker

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Chubby Checker, born Ernest Evans in 1941, is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He was born in South Carolina and grew up in the South Philadelphia neighbourhood. At eleven he formed a vocal group on the street, and at school he imitated Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. His boss at the greengrocer's market gave him the nickname Chubby. Through the owner of a poulterer's and the lyricist Kal Mann he got a private recording to Dick Clark, the host of American Bandstand. Clark's wife came up with the name Chubby Checker, after Fats Domino.

Music and breakthrough

His big breakthrough came in 1960 with his version of The Twist, an R&B song by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters. It became the most popular single since the start of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, and remained so in the rankings of 2008 and 2013. In 1961 came Pony Time with the Pony dance and Let's Twist Again, his biggest hit in Britain. In 1962 he popularised Limbo Rock, an instrumental by The Champs to which he added lyrics and the limbo dance. He also released other dances such as the Fly. He made albums such as Twist With Chubby Checker and For Twisters Only in 1960.

Influence

Checker's music is simple and rhythmic: a tight beat, short phrases and lyrics that dictate the dance. He showed that a dance could make a hit, and that a song could be a movement. In 2014 he was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, and in 2025 he was selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to The Twist and notice the short, repeated phrases and the tight rhythm. Try to hear how the lyrics almost describe the dance, so that you can join in without any explanation.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists