Top 10 best Chubby Checker songs of all time

Chubby Checker (real name: Ernest Evans, born October 3, 1941) is a popular American singer and dancer. He is known as the popularizer of many dance styles, including the twist (1960's "The Twist"), and the pony (1961's "Pony Time").

Singer's Room writes: "His most popular British hit, 'Let's Twist Again', was released in 1962; the same year he performed 'Limbo Rock'. It was originally an instrumental hit by the band Champs, to which he added lyrics and the signature Limbo dance."

In September 2008, The Twist topped the list of the most popular singles to enter the Hot 100 since its debut in 1960.

Here are 10 of Chubby Checker's greatest hits according to Singer's Room

The Twist

The Twist is a song written and released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, inspired by the twist dance fashion. This version reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960.

In 1960, Chubby Checker's cover version of "The Twist" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This happened on September 19, 1960. It stayed there for one week, and set a record for the time as the only song to reach number one on two different charts.

For your information, music lovers had to wait almost 59 years for the second such achievement, when Mariah Carey's song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" reached the top in December 2020 after previously taking first place in another separate chart in December 2019.

In 1988, "The Twist" became popular again thanks to a new recording of the song by The Fat Boys featuring Chubby Checker. This version reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Germany. In 2014, Billboard magazine recognized "The Twist" as the "biggest hit" of the 1960s.

Let's Twist Again

"Let's Twist Again" is a song written by Cal Mann and Dave Appell and released as a single by Chubby Checker. It was one of the biggest hits of 1961, in August of that year it reached number 8 on the US Billboard pop chart and number 3 on the Cash Box. The song is dedicated to the dance fashion of the twist and Checker's 1960 single The Twist, which was twice a No. 1 single in the United States (in September 1960 and January 1962).

Limbo Rock

"Limbo Rock" is a popular song about limbo dancing written by Kal Mann (under the pseudonym Ian Sheldon) and Billy Strange. The instrumental version was first recorded by The Champs in 1961.

The first vocal version was recorded in 1962 by Chubby Checker (on the Parkway Records label): for two weeks it was ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100 and first on the Cash Box charts.

In 1963, Checker released a follow-up to the song, "Let's Limbo Some More," which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard chart.

Pony Time

The song "Pony Time" was written by Don Covey and John Berry and was originally recorded in 1960 by The Goodtimers.

The song achieved great success the following year when it was recorded by Chubby Checker. It became his second No. 1 hit in the United States (after the 1960 single "The Twist"). Chubby Checker's recording of "Pony Time" also hit number one on the R&B charts.

Dance the Mess Around

Chubby Checker's single, released in 1961, is included in the collection Chubby Checker's Biggest Hits. Rolling Stone magazine included "Dance the Messaround" in its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

The composition is distinguished by the original jazz accompaniment, which is not typical of other hits by this artist.

The Fly

"The Fly" is a song written by John Madara and David White. The song was produced by Kal Mann.

Interesting fact: In the recording of the song, a working electric razor was used to create the effect of a buzzing fly.

The song "The Fly" reached #7 on the US pop chart, #11 on the US R&B chart, and #35 in Australia in 1961. It was included in the 1961 album For 'Teen Twisters Only. "The Fly" also peaked at #70 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 Singles of 1961.

Slow Twistin

"Slow Twistin" was written by John Sheldon and recorded by Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharp. Released as a single in 1962, it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B singles chart.

The song was covered by The Marvelettes (under the title "Slow Twist") on their album The Marvelettes Sing in 1962.

Another version of Slow Twistin', featuring vocals by Dee Dee Sharp and featuring Chubby Checker and with changed lyrics, was included on the 1962 album It's Mashed Potato Time.

Twist It Up

The song "Twist It Up" was released in 1962 as part of the album Beach Party. Thanks to this composition, Chubby Checker strengthened his status as a pioneer of twist music.

Loddy Lo

"Loddy Lo" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell. In 1963, the song was ranked 4th in American R&B and 12th in the Billboard Hot 100. In the same year, it was included in Chubby's Folk Album. Chubby Checker dedicated it to his wife Katharine Lodders.

Hooka Tooka

"Hooka Tooka" is a song written by Chubby Checker and Elliot Mazer. In 1963, the song reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on American R&B.

It was also included on the 1963 Chubby's Folk Album.