Saturday, August 6, 1960: 'The Twist'

Singer Chubby Checker brings his single (and accompanying dance) "The Twist" to a prime-time television audience on "The Dick Clark Show." Checker's remake of the 1958 original (a modest hit by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters) would reach No. 1 on the charts on September 19 and then again on January 13, 1962. Everybody was hitting the dance floor, as a string of "Twist"-themed songs followed from other singers and bands, especially in 1962 during the song's second wave of popularity. Checker explained the moves this way: "Just pretend you're wiping your bottom with a towel as you get out of the shower, and putting out a cigarette with both feet."

* Listen and watch Chubby Checker version (I think this is "The Dick Clark Show" footage): @

* More about the song and the dance craze: @ and @ and @

* Chubby Checker website: @

* 1960 photo of Chubby Checker, Dick Clark and Conway Twitty in motion: @

* Illustrated guide to the dance: @

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