Chubby Checker and the Infamous “Twist”

Chubby Checker and the Infamous “Twist”

Ernest Evans, known famously as Chubby Checker, was an American singer who signed with Cameo-Parkway Records in 1959. Releasing two singles in the early years of his career, The Class and Dancing Dinosaur, he gained very minor popularity and decided to create a cover of Hank Ballard’s The Twist. The original song was already experiencing success on the charts, but Chubby Checker’s “twist” on the song had incredible success in the early 1960s. The song and dance began its fame in 1960, making it iconic of the start of a new decade. You can read even more fascinating events from 1960 by reading our 1960 timeline.


The ‘Twist’ Dance

It wasn’t just the song itself that brought popularity to the song and the infamous “twist” dance. Chubby Checker appeared on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand on August 6, 1960 to perform his cover version of The Twist, as well as his “twist” dance movement. The song and his performance began a worldwide dance craze, making the dance movement iconic of the early 1960s.

The twist transformed popular culture as couples were able to move away from each other on the dance floor, rather than dance in close proximity like the popular dances that came before it. For women, the dance meant they were no longer being led by their male partner, making it part of a kind of social revolution. The dance was especially popular due to how simple it was to learn – dancers would swivel their hips from side to side, with their arms moving in opposite directions, while standing with their knees bent and twisting their feet.

Teenagers immediately performed the lively twist as a refreshing and fun dance, and the dance suddenly made it more common for dancers to use their hips while dancing, giving them more freedom. Even more, it also became popular among First Lady Jackie Kennedy who would sometimes hold “Twist parties” at the White House.

chubby chase

Chubby Checker in 1964
Image: Wikimedia Commons


Song Popularity

Chubby Checker’s appearance on the show meant The Twist topped the Billboard charts in September 1960, and again in January 1962. The single became the first and only 45 single to reach number 1 in two different years. Checker performed the hit non-stop throughout the early 1960s, and even released follow-up songs like Let’s Twist Again, which was almost as big of a hit as his version of The Twist. You can read about Checker’s infamy in this period with an original 1960 newspaper from our archive.

While gaining immense popularity, the dance was quite controversial at the time. Many adults believed the dance was “too sexy” and not a proper dance, since it was very different to the traditional partner dances that had come before it. It was even warned to be potentially dangerous to adults over the age of 40, since the twisting movements could cause injuries. Even celebrities had contrasting views on the twist, but nevertheless, it found its way into popular culture and remains to be a classic feature of early 1960s entertainment.

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Newspaper Books

What are newspaper books?

Each of our Newspaper Books are created with copies of authentic newspapers from specific dates or categories. Each book allows you to choose from various cover colours and designs, and to make it truly special by personalising it with a name and dedication, printed right in the book.

With Newspaper Date books you choose a specific date, for example a birthdate, and we'll create a book containing the front page for the specified date for every subsequent year since. For example, a date of July 13th, 1978, would contain the front page for July 13th for each year forward.

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Note that each of our Newspaper Books contain true copies of real newspaper content. We don't edit, change, or censor what was originally included in each paper. This means that each book will reflect the true history as it was printed, good or bad.

Personalising Newspaper Books
How does personalisation work?

As you create your Newspaper book, you'll be prompted to personalise it in a few different ways.

First, you'll be able to choose from a selection of cover colours, as well as a cover design. Simply click the options available, and you'll see the image update to match your selection, helping you to choose your favourite.

In addition to the look of your cover, you're also able to add the recipient's name, which will be printed right on the front cover. You can see how this looks in the example images on our website, it appears right next to the words "Presented To"

And finally, a special dedication is printed right inside the book. You can opt to use or add to our pre-written sentiment, or write your very own from scratch.



Does it have to be personalised?

At this time, there isn't any way to create one of our newspaper books without a First Name. It's a request we've shared with our product team, but at the moment don't know when this option might be available.

Please note that anything that is entered into the recipient's name box will print exactly as it's entered. This means that writing 'no personalisation' for example, will result in your book printing with that showing on the cover.

If you prefer not to use a first name, we suggest using a phrase related to your chosen book. For example for writing "A big fan", or using nickname or relationship, such as "My Partner", or simply "You" or "Me"

Original Newspapers
What are Original Newspapers?

Our Original Newspapers are just that - authentic, original papers that were once hot off the press and sold at actual newsstands in the UK and US. Each paper is stored in our archive of over 3 million newspapers, dating back to the early 1900's and featuring 100s of editions.


What can I expect with my paper?

When you purchase one of our original newspapers, our team of archivists will carefully review your paper page by page. Being careful to examine and press each paper flat, they'll also repair any flaws and reinforce the paper as necessary with a special archival repair tape. This work ensures the paper you receive will be strong enough to enjoy for years to come.

Note that as these are real newspapers and not replicas, you'll be holding a piece of treasured history in your hands, one that others may have enjoyed throughout the decades before you. While our team takes care to ensure that each paper is suitable for gifting, due to the nature of newspapers and time itself, there may be minor flaws or imperfections, or signs of age.


I can't find what I'm looking for, do you have more in stock?

To see what options are available, visit our Original Newspapers Page and enter in your desired date. Upon clicking 'search' you'll see any editions available to order, clicking 'select' will allow you to view the price for the paper you've selected, as well as various gift box options available. Newspapers are priced based on age, rarity, and special historic events, and can vary between editions.

Please note that every newspaper within our archive is catalogued and listed. If no results appear or the edition you were hoping to see is not listed, and the date you've entered is more than 2 weeks ago, we unfortunately do not have any items in stock, and are not likely to receive more at a future time.

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Can I send a gift directly to the recipient

Yes indeed! Both our Newspaper Books and Our Original Newspapers make incredible gifts for the special people in your life.

While placing your order you'll have the option to add a special gift box, which your item will be carefully placed inside prior to packaging and shipping.


For our Newspaper Books, you can also include a special dedication which will be printed directly in the book you've created - free of charge.


During checkout, you'll be able to enter in the recipient's shipping address, separately from your billing one. And, we never include any pricing or invoices within the parcels themselves, so the recipient won't see those details at all.


Note that at this time we're unable to include any gift notes or separate gift messages within the orders.

Placing an Order

Add content here...What happens when I place an order?

Once your order has been placed, the details are immediately sent to our workshops for processing.

If you've ordered an Original Newspaper, our team of Archivists in our warehouse located in Western Scotland will carefully pick, examine, prepare, and package your order.


If you've ordered a Newspaper Book, details for your customised book will be sent directly to our Printhouse located in the United Kingdom, where an automated printing process will print, trim, bind, and cure you book before it is carefully packaging it for shipping.

Note that as our orders are processed very soon after they're received, we are not able to make any changes or amendments, or cancel any orders.

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Due to the automated nature of our order processing, we're unable to make changes or amendments to an order once it's been completed, nor are we able to cancel orders once after they've been placed.

For information about our Returns Policy, please visit this link >> HERE