NEW RECORD MIRROR, Week -ending March 23, 1963 Page Five NORMAN JOPLING VIEWS CHUBBY CHECKER'S TEEN DANCE HITS AND FINDS He's the Commercial Dance King EVERYONE knows the old story about Chubby Checker and the Twist. rather lifeless until we thought of having The story that tells how Chubby recorded the number by Hank Ballard a girl answering Chubby on the disc". The girl, of course, was Dee Dee Sharp, and sent it into the charts, starting a great new craze.Ballard was a Rhythm and she put the finishing touches to one and Blues singer who had the Twist as a "B" side to one of his singles. of Chubby's most brilliant discs. Checker covered it many months after-so it can't be said he stole any of Chubby'snextdiscwas" Dancing the sales from Ballard. Party the beaty rocker that Gary U.S. Then a little while back everyone reads in the musical press that a certain Bonds is currently suing Chubby over. Mr. Gary (U.S.) Bonds is suing Chubby Checker for infringement of copyright. Next disc was titled "Limbo Rock". That one had a long long history.It That set me thinking, So I decided to look at some of Chubby Checker's stems back from the Twist craze when singles and see just how or where they originated. the former top instrumental group, the Hisfirstwas adisccalled"The Champs, made a disccalled "Tequila Class".That one was a novelty disc plug the dance had to date. Cameo Twist" after their biggest hit.It was a with Chubby taking off various people Parkway recording executives heardit, bad disc anditflopped badly.Then in the recording world, including Elvis and rushed Chubby to the studios, where someone in the States started playing the Presley.That one was never issued here. he coveredit.Chubby's disc was the flip, an original Champs number called His second was "The Twist". A bigger hit, of course-it reached the top "Limbo Rock".Purely instrumental,it commercialisedcoverversionofthe spotintheStates and constituted his leapt up inthe charts and was a size- Ballard disc-that's first hit here.It reached number 20. ablehitforthegroup,leading them all O.K. but one on the comeback trail. thing isn't. Later, whenthe Twisthitthetop When Chubby came overherehe forasecondtime,theGoodtimers claimed to some that he had invented recorded"It'sTwistin' Time"-it was Limbo the dance, the twist. Sceptical "Pony Time" withthe same backing fansprovedhim wrong onthelast and altered lyrics. British fans who didn't Their nextdisc was called "Limbo count-and they also argued how could have a chance to hear their versions of Dance" and this one featured words as he have invented the dance when there "Pony Time" could onlyrealise how well as music-the words being detailed areinstructionsinthelyricsofthe good it must have been by this disc. instructions on how to do the dance. song which he didn't write. Cameo Parkway, meanwhile,always on to new dance crazes, latched on to Chubby maintained, andstillmain- Original the Limbo, put words to it and gave it tains, he invented the dance.He also It was just like the Champs' tends to become very annoyed when he Most of Chubby's discs after " Pony to Chubby. Time " were originals-Chubby declined versionexceptwith words. Later, is approached on the subject. to do any more cover versions after the Chubbyinventedthe"new Limbo", Afterthetwist came . . . ."The last two. whichwasdifferenttotheChamps' Hucklebuck".Original?Not on your version. life.It's an old nineteen -thirties dance (ByChubby,ofcourse,we mean Thedifference wasthatinThe thatCameo -Parkwaydressedupfor both he and the A & R men of Cameo Champs' version a limbo pole was used Chubby. records, for even en artist like Chubby -Chubby dispensed withthisforthe Checker doesn't have much say inhis teen dance ofhis own creation. choice of materials). Flip of "Limbo Rock" was another big Better His"Let'sTwis Again" - many hit.It was "Popeye (The Hitchhiker)". Chubby's next two discs were cover months later to be a great hit in Britain The dance was first recorded by Huey versions of other American artists.The -and another original, "The Fly", made P. Smith and The Clowns in a number One thing, though.The flip, "Twenty CHUBBY CHECKER "Slow first was called "The Mess Around" and his name even bigger. Then the Twist called "Popeye" some months before- Miles",isprobably better --it's an up - and that, too, was a hit.But it was the tempo jolly beat number that's coming Twistin'" with DEE DEE SHARP was originallyrecorded by Bobby caught on again, and his disc of "The in a scene from the film "DON'T Freeman. Bobby had beenquite Checkerversionwhichgarneredthe up fast in the States. Twist" swept to the top again, provid- most honours for it. KNOCK THE TWIST". The a big name on the U.S. R. & B. scene, ing him with a couple of hits in Britain, from the Chubby And if Chubby begins to run a little with such hits as "Do You Want To Mr.Hank Next, andlatest short of ideas for his new discs in the accompanying feature illustrates andprovidingacertain is" Let's Limbo Some Dance ? ", " Shimmy Shimmy "," Ebb Ballard with anotherfantastic sum in Checker stable, future, here's a suggestion : how Chubby's name is "magic" Tide " and " Sinbad ". More ", a fast beat number in the Limbo royalties. vein once more that looks like climbing No one hastried reviving the when it comes to dance discs. But,ofcourse,Chubby's immense to the top of the tree. Charleston yet.... popularity at the time enabled him to Certainly Hank Ballard has cause for win hands down.Poor Bobby Freeman being grateful to Chubby Checker.The had no more hits after that one. odds are that if Chubby hadn't recorded itit would never have been heard.As Next disc from Chubby was " Pony itis. Hank has made more money out Time '. The Pony was a teen dance of the disc "The Twist" than Chubby that had been hanging around for quite Checker has. some time without anyone taking much notice of it.Then a bluesy vocal group Chubby's next disc, "Slow Twistin' ", called the Goodtimers recorded a song was an original... called " Pony Time", by far the best "Itlackedany sparkandseemed THEY'VE SPENT A FORTUNE

DICK DALE: On The Lad They Call 'The New Presley' In The U.S. Theyare hailing him new,entirelydifferent.Hisstyleis do itis anybody's guess. But the im- asthe unique. The only valid comparison be- portant thingisthe rantin' and ravin' "NEW PRESLEY" tween Dick Dale and early Sinatra or of Capitol Records, who hardlywish Presley is in the ferocious loyalty of his -By to make idiots of themselves. Obviously, in America. fans." they have enormous faithinthislad who beats it out in one minute... and PETER JONES then talks like a hip Billy Graham to NECK hisaudiences. sure,is This,for one record com- 51111111111111111111111111111111111i11111111111111111111111111111a I remember a similar campaign over pany sticking its neck out to the fullest another singer, name of Elvis Presley. extent.They know, what's more, that sound did. The youngsters moved with I remained unmoved and suggested that that neck stands to be choppered should the music and a new dance was born. he was just another U.S. based popster. Mr. Dalefizzleout anddie,prema- This, you'll agree,is raving par ex- cellence. Nobody's ever let me live that down. turely.But there is more, believe it or So I'm not saying anything atallat not! What backs it up? Well "Peppermint singlewith thisstage about the phenomenal, sur- Piperof Man"isahard -driving They call him "The Pied stacksofcommercial appeal. Andit prising, highly -charged, ultra -exciting Balboa". "A Dick Dale audience, at first is the original version. The others are Dick Dale. glance, might seem like any crowd of from Timmy Welch, on Sinatra's Re- But let'slook, too,athis rivals in highlyenthusiastic young people.But prise label, and highly promising British the three -cornered scrap round "Pepper- when you look closely, you notice an mint Man". . amazing difference. THEY ARE ACTU- lad Rey Anton, on Oriole. ALLY WELL BEHAVED! The place is In truth, though, Dick'sbreak- Only one British version in the three - through was in Southern California. His filled to capacity.. . but there are no angled fight on "Peppermint Man"-and fights,norowdiness,nobodygetting fameisspreading now,though, and that's by ex -window cleaner Rey Anton, out of line." he looksset fornational, even inter- who whips up a very real storm on the national,fame.Hisfirstsinglewas Oriole label.This disc was made by There are usually fights? "Misirlou", with " 'Til Midnight", andtwo young technicians, Geoffrey Heath "AndhereisthesecretofDick he has out,intheStates, an album (of Good Music) and Adrian Cannon, Dale'sastonishingsuccess. He isthe "Surfers'Choice",whichsold75,0D0 who came together under Baton Produc- acknowledged leader of the kids. They copiesinsidethreemonths.This,of tions.They've done a great job.And, respect him because he speaks to them course, is fantastic. what's more, they could easily delay the inanalmostevangelicalfervour ... arrivalinthiscountry of thehighly - pointing out thatinorder toachieve OVERFLOW boosted Dick Dale. thekindofrespectthey want from He's23andfirstappearedatthe Itwas an independent production, adults,theymustgivethatkindof this. The two young men incharge RECORDcompanieshavebeen American trade magazines, hysteria respect toothers. famed Rendezvous Ballroom, Balboa, in known, in the past, to become reaches new proportions. 1960. He pushedtheattendances up admit they were scared when they first hystericalabouttheirnewartists. Try thisfor size. "The phenomenon and up. Overflow crowds danced on the handled the session.But they'vecer- But thisis part of the business. If must be seen to be believed. There has PRACTISE steps. tainly managed to create an American the COMPANY doesn't bellow loud been nothing like it since frenzied teen- sound in a British studio. "They listen to him ... and practise Dick is an expert surf -rider. He also and long about a performer, how agersswoonednoisilyatthePara- what he tells them.So amazing is this is an accomplished archer. And a clever And thethirdcontestant, from the can the public be expected to bellow mount in New York as Frank Sinatra, effect that thousands of parents in the horseman. What's more, he plays guitar, Frank Sinatra Reprise stable,is Timmy loud, etc.... curlyhairedand unsureofhimself, area are applauding his efforts, instead trumpet, trombone, piano, organ, drums Welch. Again, he whips up the fair old Capitol Records, in the States, have breathed 'All Of Me' into the micro- of objecting to their kids attending the and anything else you can suck, blow, storm. reached new heights, however.All phone." twang or thump. over a lad named Dick Dale, who Or this. "Some compare the astonish- dances where he appears." It certainly looks like a fair old battle. joins a three -pronged battle this week ing Dick Dale reaction to the legendary Dick is lauded as the King Of The Saxophone is his latest hobby -horse. With Dick Dale,if you can believe on a single "Peppermint Man". In Presley explosion. But both comparisons Stomp. He createdthe stomp-or at "Peppermint Man" looks likebeing halfthestories,themosthysteria - their full -page advertisements in are invalid. Dick is something entirely least the driving rhythmic beat of his a hithere, though which versionwill minded of all three....