Chapter 15: Teen-Targeted Pop Music in the Early '60s
Born Ernest Evans, Chubby Checker (b. 1941) emerged as one of the most influential performers of the early 1960s. He attended high school alongside fellow Philadelphian and teen idol Fabian Forte. As a teenager, Evans worked at a local produce market, where he entertained customers by singing over the loudspeaker. His vocal talent caught the attention of the store’s owner, who introduced him to songwriter Kal Mann. Mann wrote Checker’s first single, “The Class” (1959), and later connected him with Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand. During a recording session, Clark’s wife jokingly suggested the name “Chubby Checker” as a playful riff on Fats Domino—and it stuck.
Checker rose to national prominence in 1960 with his recording of “The Twist,” a cover of a rhythm and blues song originally performed by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Checker’s version topped the Billboard pop chart in 1960 and again in 1962, making it the first song in history to hit number one in two separate chart runs. His energetic delivery and youthful appeal helped transform the song into a full-blown cultural phenomenon. He followed it with additional hits such as “Let’s Twist Again” (1961), which reached number two on the UK charts, and “Limbo Rock” (1962), which helped popularize limbo dancing in American pop culture. Although Checker never again matched the massive success of “The Twist,” his music had a lasting impact on 1960s youth culture.
The dance crazes that Chubby Checker popularized were part of a long tradition of American social dances that captured the spirit of their times. Beginning in the 1920s with the Charleston, which embodied the freewheeling energy of the Jazz Age, dance styles often reflected cultural shifts and youth rebellion. The 1950s had seen energetic partner dances like the Jitterbug and the Hand Jive, which were closely tied to the rising popularity of rock and roll music. Unlike partner or group dances that required physical contact and coordinated steps, “The Twist” introduced open or solo dancing, where individuals danced independently without touching. This style was more palatable for television audiences and aligned perfectly with the broader movement toward making popular music and dance more socially acceptable for mainstream America. By removing physical contact, “The Twist” reduced any overtly sexual connotations, making it suitable for family-friendly programming while still allowing young people to express themselves freely. To do the Twist, dancers were encouraged to move their hips back and forth in a twisting motion as if they were putting out a cigarette with their foot and wiping their behind with a towel. This simple, fun, and energetic movement made the dance accessible to everyone and helped explain why it caught on so quickly across the country.
The success of “The Twist” inspired a flood of other open dance-themed songs and crazes in the early 1960s, such as “Peppermint Twist,” "Mashed Potato Time" “The Wah-Watusi,” “The Fly,” “The Hucklebuck,” and “Pony Time.” Each of these dances built on the idea of solo or small-group movements, often accompanied by catchy, upbeat songs that dominated radio and television. These dances became a way for young people to connect socially and culturally during a time of rapid change