Twistin’ With Chubby Checker, a Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon

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If you recently danced to a song, rocked out to your iPod at the gym or did a dance move with a specific name, you can thank Chubby Checker.

There is no denying Chubby Checker's place in rock ‘n’ roll history. And at 72 he still loves his fans, loves music and going strong touring — he will perform Saturday at the Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester.

“All music is very inspiring to me,” he said. “And when I see them dancing, I see Chubby Checker. Chubby Checker is here like a light bulb. You may not notice it but it shows you everything.”

Born Ernest Evans, he was given the nickname “Chubby” by his boss at a produce market in Philadelphia where he worked in high school. He decided at a young age he wanted to someday become a famous musician and in 1959, at the age of just 17, he got that chance. He recorded “The Twist” in 1959, which hit No. 1 on the  Billboard charts in 1960 and then again in 1962 — the only song in history to ever achieve that standing. “The Twist” was also No. 1 on the 2008 Billboard music's 50th anniversary Hot 100 of All Time list, the same year Chubby Checker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

“The Twist” was groundbreaking in that it introduced the concept to “dancing apart from the beat.” Basically before that time, dancing to music meant dancing with a partner. Today, when most people dance to music, they are dancing apart from the beat, meaning they do not necessarily need a partner. Chubby said that before him, no one exercised to music either.

“Go back to the archives and look at 1959 when Chubby Checker performed on American Bandstand, he said. “Now look three weeks before and three weeks after. See how the world changed and music changed.”

During his musical career, Chubby Checker has recorded such hits as: “The Fly”; “Let's Twist Again”; “Limbo Rock”; and “Yo Twist” with the Fat Boys in 1988. But he has always maintained a rigorous touring schedule as well. Even now he performs at least two concerts each month, with some months performing live closer to five or six times.

“I'm in control,” he said of what he enjoys about performing live. “I go to the show. People show up and I'm able to entertain them. I've got the band. I've got the music and they've got me and there's nothing keeping us from each other.”

Chubby Checker said he has audience members who have been attending his concerts for so long they are now bringing their children and grandchildren along with them. He said he especially loves the Pacific Northwest for its coasts and mountains and is looking forward to visiting the Lucky Eagle Casino Saturday.



“It's going to be a great time,” he said. “It's going to be packed, I'm sure of it. People are going to be dancing. It's going to be a great time.”

Besides his music, Chubby Checker has been in the snack business about 12 years. He also started his own record company, on which he recorded his newest song “Changes”, which has been on the charts for about a year. 

Yet he said he's often frustrated by the lack of airtime his music gets. “The Twist” may be the No. 1 song of all time but it gets very little play anymore, despite its seemingly universal appeal. He said he has worked hard to point out to the recording industry the great disparity between musicians who get airplay and those who should but don't. 

He pointed out the younger generation of musicians such as Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber who are poorly behaved but get lots of airplay. And he noted musicians from the same recording era as him, such as Elton John and Paul McCartney, who get lots of play. But he said for some reason he can't get his music on the radio, which he feels is unfair.

“Sometimes I don't sleep well at night because of it,” he said. “I just don't know why it happens. I told radio, 'I did something for you, now you do something for me. Play my music and let the people decide. Let the people decide whether I have something or I have a piece of crap. But let them decide.’”

When he's not out touring, Chubby Checker lives in the same home outside Philadelphia he and his wife purchased in 1965. He said he loves his life surrounded by his children and grandchildren. But it is the music that feeds him.

 

Carrina Stanton is a local freelance writer specializing in pieces for the Life section of The Chronicle. She and her husband are raising their two daughters in Chehalis.