In June 1959, Chubby recorded “The Twist”. Bernie Lowe, president of Cameo-Parkway Records, was not initially impressed with Chubby’s recording and felt it may be a “B” side at best. However, Chubby felt “The Twist” was something special and worked hard to promote the record by undertaking nonstop rounds of TV dates, interviews, and live performances. Fourteen months later, in the summer of 1960, “The Twist” was a hit.
“The Twist” was not only the #1 song, but it also introduced the concept of “dancing apart to the beat”. Over the next few years, endless songs incorporating “The Twist” into its name sprang up, such as “Peppermint Twist”, “Twist and Shout” and “Twistin’ the Night Away”. In addition, each new song brought a new dance involving “dancing apart to the beat” such as “The Jerk”, “The Hully Gully”, “The Boogaloo” and “The Shake”. At the forefront was Chubby with “The Fly,” “The Pony” and “The Hucklebuck”.
The next few years were prolific for Chubby, as hits followed hits. In 1961, Chubby recorded “Pony Time”, written by Don Covay and John Berry. It went to #1 and stayed on the charts for 16 weeks. In between recording and touring, Chubby took time to add feature films to his portfolio with the releases of “Don’t Knock The Twist” and “Twist Around The Clock”.
