My wife and I recently had an opportunity to see Chubby Checker in Concert at the del Lago Resort & Casino in Warterloo, NY. Yep, he’s still alive; his voice sounds great, he still has his signature moves , andhe knows how to put on a show.
Full name: Ernest Evans
Born: October 3, 1941 (age 80 years), Spring Gully, SC
I am of the Boomer generation, and Chubby is from the tail end of the Silent Generation. This is the music my parents, and their contemporaries, grew up listening to, and the audience reflected that. But that’s OK, we still have the moves, if not the energy of our youth.
A quick anecdote: Everybody had to go through security and a metal detector to get in the theater. The metal detector got a real workout with all the replacement parts we seem to have accumulated. I warned security about my own “upgrades” [full shoulder replacement and mechanical heart valve], and yes, I got beeped, The lady in front of me beeped, the guy behind me beeped, and so on. So, not only was there to be a lotta shaking going on, there was also a whole lotta beeping going on.
For many of us the music of Chubby Checker was a major influence of our early years. The Twist was, for many of us, the first thing we learned to dance. Then there was Limbo Rock, Let’s Twist Again, The Fly, and one of my favorites, The HuckleBuck. He went through his catalog of music and moves, although at 80 years old, Limbo Rock was more song than dance.
Chubby put on a 90 minute show that was full of memories, music, dancing, and just plain fun. The audience was enthusiastic and started dancing in the aisles on the first song, and before the end of the show, Chubby had dozens of people up on the stage letting their hair down.
Along with other artists and contemporaries like Elvis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, and many more, he put an indelible mark on Rock & Roll, and continues to influence artists and dancers alike.
According to Chubby, The Twist is the worlds all time, Number 1 song. It remains the yardstick against which all subsequent dance floor phenomena are measured. When is the last time you went to wedding and didn’t hear, and dance, The Twist.
Thank you Chubby; date night was a great success.
