<p id=”par-1_49″>Not all old rock is <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/classic-rock/”>classic rock</a>. “The Twist” <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/1-the-weeknds-songs-bigger-the-beatles-hey-jude.html/”>singer Chubby Checker</a> did not make classic rock and yet he might get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That’s just a silly idea and it isn’t doing anything for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s dignity.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-twist-star-chubby-checker-was-part-of-1-era-the-rock-amp-roll-hall-of-fame-should-ignore”>‘The Twist’ star Chubby Checker was part of 1 era the Rock & Roll Hall of fame should ignore</h2>
<p id=”par-2_83″>Everybody who loves 1960s rock also hates a lot of 1960s rock. Between the time Elvis Presley went pop and The Beatles’ first appearance <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/george-harrison-didnt-rehearse-the-ed-sullivan-show.html/”>on <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em></a>, music on the American charts was not great. The world was dominated by a lot of unfunny comedy songs and dull easy listening. If you ever wondered why <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-producer-wanted-i-want-to-hold-your-hand-grab-scruff-neck.html/”>“I Want to Hold Your Hand”</a> is considered a classic, look up some of its competition. One of the biggest stars from that period was Checker.</p>
<p id=”par-3_59″>Checker is mostly remembered for silly novelty dance songs like “The Twist,” “Let’s Twist Again” (how original), and “Pony Time.” So many songs from that era were novelty <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/1-major-singer-wrote-little-evas-the-loco-motion.html/”>dance tracks like “The Loco-Motion”</a> or “Monster Mash,” but you don’t hear anyone begging for Little Eva or Bobby “Boris” Pickett to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.</p>
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<iframe title=”Chubby Checker – The Twist (Official Music Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/-CCgDvUM4TM?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-rock-amp-roll-hall-of-fame-is-about-something-more-than-hits”>The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is about something more than hits</h2>
<p id=”par-4_59″>Nobody could honestly make the case that “Pony Time” is some kind of artistic masterpiece. The only thing Checker objectively had going for him was his success on the charts. In addition to his <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/chubby-checker/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a> No. 1 singles “The Twist” and “Pony Time,” he had 19 other top 40 singles and 32 charting singles altogether. That’s impressive.</p>
<p id=”par-5_96″>But that’s not what the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is about! It’s supposed to have some concern for quality! If entry into the Hall were just about chart success, Mötley Crüe would have gotten in a long time ago. Furthermore, there are great artists in the Hall that were never chart juggernauts, including The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Sex Pistols, and Nine Inch Nails. Checker deserves that honor about as much as <em>Deadpool & Wolverine</em> deserves to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, or <em>Ready Player One</em> deserves the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.</p>
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<iframe title=”Pony Time” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/BHBqzDV2GcM?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/chubby-checker-said-angel-predicted-success-the-twist.html/”>
Chubby Checker Said an Angel Predicted the Success of ‘The Twist’ </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-chubby-checker-sure-thinks-he-was-a-ground-breaker”>Chubby Checker sure thinks he was a ground-breaker</h2>
<p id=”par-6_76″>If anyone believes in Checker’s worthiness, it’s Checker. During a 2015 interview with <a href=”https://www.phillymag.com/things-to-do/2015/01/11/chubby-checker-blames-racism-famous-beyonce/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Philadelphia</a>, he said his signature dance is “like the electric light. Once it went on, lights were everywhere. Everybody uses it. I see her, she sees me, and we exploit our sexuality fully dressed. The Twist, the Pony, the Shake, the Hucklebuck — it’s all Chubby Checker. The dance floor is Chubby Checker, and the Twist is what we do to everybody’s music.”</p>
<p id=”par-7_70″>He believes that anyone who calls him a one-hit wonder is “sick.” “I’ve had 34 hits,” he said. “I had the biggest song of the 1960s. I had the first rock ‘n’ roll song that received a Grammy when everyone thought rock ‘n’ roll was trashy. The first platinum record given to any artist. I am the only artist with five albums on the top 12 at the same time.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_19″>Checker’s right. He is categorically not a one-hit wonder. That doesn’t mean he was ever a very impressive artist.</p>