Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do): CHUBBY CHECKER

My thoughts on pop music and pop culture, plus the weekly playlists from THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana and Carl (Sunday nights 9 to Midnight Eastern, SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM in Syracuse, sparksyracuse.org). You can support this blog on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2449453 Twitter @CafarelliCarl All editorial content on this blog Copyright Carl Cafarelli (except where noted). All images copyright the respective owners TIP JAR at https://www.paypal.me/CarlCafarelli

Thursday, August 24, 2023

CHUBBY CHECKER

Chubby Checker is not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I'm reasonably certain that Chubby Checker has never even been nominated for induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

That's insane.

I'm aware (or at least think I'm aware) of the myopic, chuckleheaded attitude that has prevented the Hall from giving Checker his just due. And I'm aware that Checker's version of "The Twist" was recognized in 2018 as one of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Singles. The larger issue remains: Chubby Checker himself is way, way overdue for specific recognition. Come on, baby!

I'm going to circle back at some point to write a fuller appreciation of Chubby Checker, perhaps as a Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery piece or as another exciting entry in the infinite saga of The Greatest Record Ever Made! I'll probably repeat some or all of the above when I finally do get around to writing that piece.

But for today, I'm gonna let the idea simmer for a little bit. I have a brand new CD copy of Checker's Dancin' Party collection to provide a fresh soundtrack to the Twist, the Pony, the Hucklebuck, the Limbo, the Fly, and more (though, alas, not the Freddie). We'll hear a track from this fine set on Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl.

And I have finally added Chubby Checker to the ranks of my above-mentioned Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery, thanks to a bravura live performance by Chubby Checker and the Wildcats at The New York State Fair on Wednesday. It was a great show, and it offers further illustration of the sheer idiocy of the razzafrazzin' Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's continued snub of Chubby Checker.

Checker will be 83 in October. He's still amazing. I'm so glad I finally had this chance to see him perform. I will slow-twist my way back to this subject of the mighty Chubby Checker in a near-future post.

Meanwhile: Let's twist again!

#inductchubbychecker

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Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.