The Twist
"The Twist" is an American pop song written and originally released in early 1959 (having been recorded on November 11, 1958) by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to "Teardrops on Your Letter". Ballard's version was a moderate 1960 hit, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The
song became popular on a Baltimore television dance show hosted by local DJ
Buddy Dean. Dean recommended the song to Dick Clark, host of the national American Bandstand. Clark attempted to book
Ballard to perform on the show but Ballard was unavailable. Clark searched for a local artist to record
the song...enter Chubby Checker. Exposure for the song on American
Bandstand and on The Dick Clark Saturday Night Show helped
propel the song to the top of the American charts. Checker's1960 cover version of the
song began the Twist dance craze.
In
late 1961 and early 1962, the twist craze caught on in high society. Celebrities
doing the dance made the song a hit with adults. Soon there were long lines at
the Peppermint Lounge nightclub in New
York. This new interest made "The Twist" the only recording to hit
number one on the United States charts during two separate chart runs, and
marked a major turning point for adult acceptance of rock and roll music.
Have fun with this memorable old video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHGXwQeUk7M
