Twistin' Through Time with Chubby Checker: Live from the New York State Fair

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Get ready for an unforgettable kickoff to the New York State Fair as we chat with the iconic Chubby Checker, the man who revolutionized the dance floor with "The Twist." Broadcasting live from Chevy Court near the Dairy Building, Chubby shares intimate stories from his six-decade-long career, including how Syracuse played a crucial role in his rise to fame. We explore the fascinating origins of his stage name and his early inspiration from a fair in Georgetown, South Carolina, making for a nostalgic and heartwarming journey through music history.

Chubby reflects on the monumental success of "The Twist," a song that not only topped the Billboard 100 twice but was also crowned the biggest chart hit of all time by Billboard magazine in 2008. He emphasizes the importance of living in the moment and staying connected with his audience, promising an electrifying performance at Chevy Court. Tune in for a heartfelt conversation filled with personal anecdotes, timeless music history, and Chubby's unwavering commitment to his fans. This is one episode you won't want to miss!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning and welcome to day one of the great
New York State Fair.
I'm Bob Brown, from ourbroadcast shed on Chevy Court,
right near the Derry Building.
Joining me right now, anentertainer who's been playing
Syracuse for more than 60 years,the one and only Chubby Checker
, yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
How are?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
you guys doing?
How are you?
Everything's good, Everything'sgreat.
A little wet, but other thanthat it's all good, syracuse,
put me on the map.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Did you know that?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
A little wet, but other than that it's all good.
Syracuse, put me on the map.
Did you know that I did?
I knew that.
Mr Dick Clark Tell the story.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, dick Clark, dick Clark, I happened.
First of all, everythingstarted at the fair in
Georgetown, south Carolina.
My mom took me to the fair.
I was four years old and I sawErnest Tubb playing guitar and I
went, mom, she said what'swrong, ernest?
I said, mom, I want to do that.
So I'm four years old Now, I'm17.

(00:52):
In the studio, dick Clark'sthere with his wife I'm doing a
project for Dick Clark.
His wife says is that chubby?
They said that's chubby.
She says chubby, like fast, putchecker on there, like domino.
And I became chubby checker.
And that's how I am associatedwith Syracuse.
So, and now it started at thefair.

(01:16):
And now I'm at the fair inSyracuse, the New York State
Fair, and I'm associated withthis place.
That's my story.
New York State Fair and I'massociated with this place.
That's my story.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
That's a great story.
Now you introduced the twist atthe age of 18 in July 1960 in
Wildwood, new Jersey at theRainbow Club.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
And the twist went on to the I was just getting out
of high school.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
I got out of school and February I graduated 1960.
And June I was in Wildwood atthe Rainbow and people were and
the world was changing.
That song changed the dancefloor.
It was amazing.
In fact, if you go to thatcorner in Wildwood right now
where the Rainbow used to be, Ithink the sign that says Chevy

(02:01):
Checker there.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Well, the twist went on to top the Billboard 100, not
just once it happened, ofcourse, in 1960, but again in a
separate chart run in late 1961.
Now here's something that ouraudience may not know In 2008,
the twist was named the biggestchart hit of all time by
Billboard magazine.
Now Billboard looked at all thesingles that made the charts

(02:26):
between 1958 and 2008.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
That's pretty impressive but the point is they
nominated in 2008.
It was the number one song from1960 until 2021 because there
was no other song that had donewhat that song had done.
So the twist is actually numberone song for 61 years and it's

(02:49):
the only number one song.
It was the first number onesong.
That's like George Washingtonbeing the president of the
United States I want you numberone, the first president.
I know that Biden is thepresident right now, but the
first president is still GeorgeWashington and the twist is
still the number one songbecause it's the first number
one song and it was number onefrom 1960 until 2021.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
All right.
Looking back over all theseyears, do you have a special
moment that stands out to youthat you'll never forget?

Speaker 2 (03:24):
You know, all the moments that we put out there is
still out there.
It's not like it happened andit went away Dancing.
As we know, it is a combinationof the twist, the pony, the fly
, the shake and what they did.
They call all these dances theboogie and I'm the boogie man.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
And you brought the sunshine out.
All right, I know you're takingthe stage this afternoon at
Chevy Court at 1 o'clock so Iwon't keep it too long, but what
have you got coming up in 2025?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Listen, we're just busy.
We're busy until next year.
I don't talk about other shows,because the most important show
is the one I'm doing right nowNew York State Fair.
In about an hour and 55 minutes, I'm going to go up there with
the band.
How are you doing, folks?
Thanks for coming out, thankyou, thank you, and it's all

(04:22):
about them.
By the way, you need to knowthat everything that we do is
all about the people.
It's not really about us.
I'm just a good excuse for theparty, but it's all about them.
It's not about me.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
That's why you've been such a success.
Audiences feel that they knowit.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
They enjoy it when, when the wolf comes on it and
and and someone goes, they don'tsay wolf unless someone's
listening to it.
It's all about the people,because they're the ones that
make all the difference and weowe it all to them actually.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
Yeah, we do will you be back with us next year?

Speaker 2 (05:05):
I don't know.
I mean this normally does nothappen, because I was here like
maybe 30 years ago and all of asudden I'm at the fair and it
seemed like I'm the fixture andI just don't know.
But it's just wonderful beinghere and great things happen to
Chubby Shaker in New York andNew York State.
The great things that happen toChubby happen in New York and

(05:28):
New York State.
Yes, it's wonderful to be hereand being associated with
everyone and I'm getting readyto go on.
I'm very thankful for all ofyou guys out there.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Well, we certainly look forward to having you come
back next year, and all the bestin 2025.
And enjoy your, your running.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
And be careful out there in the woods, you might
run into a Chubby checker.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Everybody.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Thank you, let me go.
I got to go do my show.
Thank you guys.