1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in history class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: heart radio. Hello and welcome to this day in history class, 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: a show that belts out the greatest hits of history 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: one day at a time. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today 5 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: we're looking at the story behind the twist, the iconic 6 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: pop song that turned an eighteen year old former chicken 7 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: plucker into an international superstar. The day was September sixty. 8 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: Chubby checkers rendition of the twist reached number one on 9 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: the billboard hot one hundred singles chart. Recorded when the 10 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: singer was still in high school, the twist went on 11 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,239 Speaker 1: to become one of the great pop anthems of the decade. 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: It lost its top spot on the chart after only 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: a week, but that was long enough to spark what's 14 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: now considered to be the first worldwide day it's craze. 15 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: From Canada to Brazil, from New Zealand to South Africa, 16 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: it seemed like just about everyone on the planet had 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: accepted Checker's cheery invitation to come on and twist. Let's 18 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: see if the song has the same effect on you. 19 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: And although Chubby checker made it famous, the twist was 20 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: originally written as a twelve Bar Blues Song by R 21 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: and B musician Hank Ballard. He had gotten the idea 22 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: for it by watching the way people danced at his concerts, 23 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: both on stage and in the crowd. They made a 24 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: twisting motion with their hips and legs that he described as, quote, 25 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: trying to put a cigarette out. He decided to write 26 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: a song to go with the dance and in nine 27 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: he and his band the midnighters, released it as the 28 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: B side of one of their singles. In case you've 29 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: never heard the original version before, here's a taste. I'm 30 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: you probably noticed the two versions of the song sound 31 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: an awful lot alike. We'll talk a little more about 32 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: that a bit later. Hank Ballard and the midnighters tried 33 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: to launch a twist craze of their own by playing 34 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: the song and doing the dance it shows across the country. However, 35 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: it only ever caught on in the inner cities of 36 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: Philadelphia and Baltimore, and while the song did work its 37 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: way onto the national singles chart, it never got anywhere 38 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 1: near the spot. Ballard's song wasn't the breakout hit he'd 39 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: hoped for, but it left a strong enough impression on 40 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: Baltimore Dj Buddy Dean that he recommended the song to 41 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: his colleague Dick Clark. At the time, Clark hosted a 42 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: popular music and dance show in Philadelphia called American bandstand. 43 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: The show it aired locally since nineteen fifty two, but 44 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: was picked up for national broadcast by ABC starting in 45 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 1: Nineteen fifty seven. When Dick Clark heard the twist, he 46 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: knew it would be perfect for the show, but he 47 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: didn't like the idea of bringing Ballard on to perform it. 48 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: The singer was mostly known for suggestive tunes like sexy 49 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: ways and the Hoochie Coochie coop. Clark didn't want that 50 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: kind of Innuendo associated with his wholesome American talent show, 51 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: so he decided to find someone with a cleaner image 52 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: to sing the twist instead. One of the singers who 53 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: showed up to the audition was Philadelphia Teenager Ernest Evans, 54 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: a k a Chubby checker. He had been born in 55 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: South Carolina but grew up in the projects of Philadelphia, 56 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: not far from where American bandstand was filmed. Evans discovered 57 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: his passion for music while attending Church as a child 58 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: and when he was older he sang harmony on street 59 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: corners with a vocal group called the Quantrell's music didn't 60 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: pay the bills, though at least not yet. So. Evans 61 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 1: also worked as a chicken plucker at a local poultry market. 62 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 1: He often sang while on the job, and he reportedly 63 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,239 Speaker 1: kept his co workers in stitches by impersonating popular singers 64 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 1: of the day such as fats domino, Elvis, Presley and 65 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: the coasters. In fact, before he was tapped to cover 66 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 1: the twist, Evans had a minor hit with his first 67 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: song release, a showcase of his impersonations called the class. 68 00:04:47,160 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: Take a listen, Little Brown, less your round. You Ain't unbudding. 69 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: Little last the class charted in the top forty when 70 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: it was released in nineteen fifty nine, but Evans had 71 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: a tough time matching that first brush with success. It 72 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: was only the briefest of slumps, though, as his audition 73 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: for Dick Clark proved to be the big break he'd 74 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: been dreaming of. Clark knew that Evans had a knack 75 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: for replicating the sound of other artists, and that made 76 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: him a natural choice to sing the twist on American bandstand. 77 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: But before the show even aired, Clark also arranged for 78 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,359 Speaker 1: Evans to record his own version of the track with 79 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 1: a Philly record label called Cameo Parkway. The results were 80 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: strikingly similar to Hank Ballard's original. The studio musicians played 81 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: the song in the same key in Tempo, and Evans 82 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: vocals were a near perfect match. It was such a 83 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 1: faithful cover that when Hank Ballard later heard the song 84 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: on the radio, he thought it actually was him. Luckily 85 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: there doesn't appear to be any bad blood between the musicians, 86 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,840 Speaker 1: probably because, as the songwriter, Ballard was entitled to some 87 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: hefty royalties if and when the new version of the 88 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: twist took off, which it did. Ernest Evans released his 89 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 1: cover of the song in June of nineteen sixty, but 90 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: it wasn't his real name on the album cover. By 91 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: then the singer had adopted his now famous stage name 92 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 1: Chubby Checker, although he was reportedly nicknamed Chubby as a child. 93 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: It was actually Dick Clark's first wife, Barbara Mallory, who 94 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: suggested he take the name Chubby Checker. She came up 95 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: with the moniker as a parody of the name fats domino, 96 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: whom she thought Evans resembled. In July of Nineteen Sixty 97 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: checker performed the twist for the first time in front 98 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: of a live audience at the Rainbow Club in Wildwood, 99 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:00,280 Speaker 1: New Jersey. Then, just a few weeks later, a big 100 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: day finally arrived. On the Saturday evening of August, six 101 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,800 Speaker 1: sixty checker performed the song on Dick Clark's American bandstand. 102 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: The public ate it up and in the weeks that followed, 103 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: checker's version of the twist steadily climbed the singles chart. 104 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: The country was so enamored with the song and its 105 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: accompanying dance that the original version by Hank Ballard and 106 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: the midnight ers also began to climb the charts. On September, 107 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: checker's version hit number one, and that same week Ballard's 108 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: reached its peak position at number twenty eight. At first, 109 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: the twist only managed to hold the top spot for 110 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: a single week, but the dance that helped popularize kept 111 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: the song on People's minds, radios and record players for 112 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: the rest of the year. Part of the reason that 113 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: dance became so popular was that almost anyone could do it. 114 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: No matter how old someone was or whether they had 115 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: rhythm or not, they could probably handle twisting their feet 116 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: like they were putting out a cigarette, although, to be fair, 117 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: checker's version of the dance was slightly more complicated than 118 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: the original. As he explained it, quote, it's like putting 119 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: out a cigarette with both feet and coming out of 120 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: a shower and wiping your bottom with a towel to 121 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: the beat. Not only was the twist intuitive and easy, 122 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: it was also novel as one of the first mainstream 123 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: dances that didn't involve a partner. This style of dancing, 124 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: apart to the beat, as Checker described, it, didn't require 125 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: participants to touch each other, a concept that later reached 126 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: its zenith during the disco era. Chubby checker knew a 127 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: good thing when he saw it, so in x one 128 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: he released a kind of sequel song called let's twist again. 129 00:08:42,800 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: Here's a clip. Yeah, you might imagine that such a 130 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: derivative cash grab would crash and burn on arrival, but 131 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 1: that's not what happened. The single actually became one of 132 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: the biggest hits of the year, reaching number eight on 133 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: the US billboard pop chart and number two on the 134 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: UK Chart. Let's twist again even won the Grammy Award 135 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,839 Speaker 1: for that year's best rock and roll recording. Far from 136 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: killing the momentum, the song kept people twisting all the 137 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: way into nineteen sixty two. By that point, the twist 138 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 1: had become a full blown phenomenon. There were entire clubs 139 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: that only played songs you could twist to, like the 140 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: peppermint lounge in New York City. In celebrities like Ja 141 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:49,839 Speaker 1: Jagobor and Rudolph Nurayev had been photographed doing the dance 142 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 1: themselves in public. This publicity, coupled with checkers follow up song, 143 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,440 Speaker 1: helped achieve something that had never been done before. On 144 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: January teen sixty two, checkers version of the twist returned 145 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: to the number one spot on the billboard hot one hundred. 146 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: It was the first time a song had reached number 147 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: one twice with the same recording by the same artist. 148 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: For its second run, the song held the top spot 149 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: for two weeks, twice as long as when it peaked 150 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty once again, Chubby checker new to twist. 151 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: While the twisting was good. In nineteen sixty two he 152 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: completed his song trilogy with the release of slow twisting, 153 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: and he even appeared as himself in two twist centric movies. 154 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,679 Speaker 1: Twist around the clock and its sequel. Don't knock the twist. 155 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: By nineteen sixty three, checker was ready to give the 156 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: twist to rest and try his hand at launching other 157 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 1: dance crazes. He had decent success with hits like the 158 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: mess around, the huckle buck and the fly, but none 159 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: of those ever quite caught on like the twist. It 160 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: took more than two decades, but checker eventually twisted his 161 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 1: way back into the top twenty. That year he teamed 162 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: up with the comedic rap group the fat boys to 163 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: release a hip hop version of his signature song. That version, 164 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: called the twist. Yo Twist, reached number sixteen in the 165 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 1: US and went all the way to number two in 166 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: the UK. And, because I know you're curious, here's the 167 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: sample and do less. More than sixty years after its 168 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 1: original release, it's hard to take the full measure of 169 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: the twist impact on popular music and culture. The song 170 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,679 Speaker 1: inspired countless imitations, spinoffs and cover versions and has turned 171 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 1: up again and again in movies and TV shows. It's 172 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:03,480 Speaker 1: received plenty of accolades as well. CHECKER's version was added 173 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in and 174 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 1: was later inducted into both the rock and Roll Hall 175 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: of fame and the Grammy Hall of fame. It was 176 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: also named by billboard as the biggest hit song of 177 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: all time twice. Chubby checker was never shy about capitalizing 178 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: on the success of his biggest hit song, and that 179 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: remains true to this day. As of two the singer, 180 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: now in his eighties, is still touring and still performing 181 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: the twist. So here's the Chubby Checker, one of the 182 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: last Black Pioneers of rock and roll, who's still out 183 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 1: there sharing his music with the world and giving people 184 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: a reason to twist all nine. I'm Dave Bluesier and 185 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: hopefully you now know a little more about history today 186 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. You can learn even more about 187 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: history by following us on twitter, facebook and Instagram at 188 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 1: t d I hc show. You can also rate and 189 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: review the show on Apple podcasts, or you can send 190 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,080 Speaker 1: your feedback straight to me by writing to this day 191 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: at I heart media Dot Com. Thanks, as always, to 192 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: channel or mays for producing the show, and thanks to 193 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 194 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: for another day in history class.