He said he learned to sing “in church, because of my mother. God bless my mom.” And I read another quote from him that was in response to being called Mr. Evans. He replied, “Don’t call me Mr. Evans; only my minister can call me that.” And American music chart history shows how he had the only record, ever, to reach number 1 at two different times.
So, if you’re into American music chart history, you should know who it is.
But I think a lot of people would be surprised, shocked, and amazed to find out it’s Chubby Checker.
Yep, it was on this date, January 13, 1962, that “The Twist” made it back to number one. And that was after it had been number on in September of 1960. Getting to number one is no small deal. But getting there twice, with one song, is completely unique.
But Chubby Checker has more than one unique claim to fame.
He’s also the only artist to have 5 albums in the Top 12 all at once. And he’s the only artist to have 9 double-sided Hits. For you whippersnappers, that means both sides of his vinyl records were hits.
And here’s something you might not know if you don’t keep up with such things. Even though Mr. Evans, uh…Chubby Checker…enjoyed most of his fame in the 50’s and 60’s, he’s still alive. And, apparently still going strong despite turning 81 this year.
I found it interesting, as I looked through some of the American music chart history, that quite a few of the popular music stars, from back then, started singing in church.
One guy said he learned in church because, “that’s just where you learned to sing when your family didn’t have money.”
My hope is that their experience in church helped them overcome the world. Because it would be a shame to Twist in torment forever.
Stay tuned,
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