This Week in Music reports that on this day in 1960 Chubby Checker appeared on American Bandstand and performed “The Twist.” The YouTube link has a slight different date (August 8).
This Week in Music says that “The Twist” holds an interesting distinction: It was the only song to reach the top of “the charts” — almost certainly Billboard, but the item doesn’t specify — twice. It was number one in 1960 and 1962. Checker’s version was actually a cover. The song had been a hit for its writer, Hank Ballard.
The YouTube clip offers some interesting in-studio commentary by Dick Clark before he introduces Checker. Here is more about Checker, whose real name is Ernest Evans.
