Chubby Checker is the stage name of Ernest Evans ( October 3, 1941—), an American singer best known for popularizing the dance The Twist with his 1960 song "The Twist".
He was born in Spring Gulley, South Carolina and grew up in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended South Philadelphia High School with Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Evans chose the name "Chubby Checker" as a take-off on then-popular singer Fats Domino. In 1964, he married Catharina Lodders, who had been Miss World in 1962.
"The Twist" (which had previously been a minor rhythm and blues hit for its author, Hank Ballard) was so popular that his public often did not allow him to sing any other style of music. He did popularize many dance songs.
Checker later lamented: ...in a way, "The Twist" really ruined my life. I was on my way to becoming a big nightclub performer, and "The Twist" just wiped it out. It got so out of proportion. No one ever believes I have talent.
He is the only recording artist to have five albums in the Top 12 all at once. He is the only artist to have a song reach #1 twice—"The Twist". He is hailed by many to have changed the way we dance to the beat of music since 1959.
Checker had a number of hits with dance-themed records into the mid-1960s, but changes in public taste ended his hitmaking career in 1965. He spent much of the rest of the 1960s touring and recording in Europe. The 1970s saw him become a staple on the oldies circuit and having a minor comeback as a disco artist.
His material during his 1960s heyday was recorded for Cameo-Parkway Records and became unavailable after the early 1970s. None of it was available on compact disc until 2005. (Almost all CD compilations of Checker's hits consist of re-recordings.)