Twisting in the Wind

Chubby Checker pleads his case and put his face on beef jerky.

by Alma Cosmeus

dance/rock

Chubby Checker knows all about comebacks.

"The Twist" was actually number one on the charts twice -- first in 1960 and again in 1962. "That might never happen again in a thousand years," says the Philadelphia-raised Checker in a telephone interview. Many of his recordings are spinoffs -- "Twist It Up," "Let’s Twist Again," "Texas Twist," etc.

Checker still performs, often at casinos; he plays the Showboat in Atlantic City this weekend. However, if that's not close enough to home, you can see him perform live at your next corporate or business function. The self-proclaimed "king of the music business" is for hire.

But wait, there's more. Checker has branched into the world of brand names and trademarks with his line of Chubby Checker food products. "My energy just doesn't run out," he explains. "The line includes candy bars, potato chips, beef jerky, hot dogs and assorted meats. "They have a taste you remember," he says.

"Any woman or man who has given the dance of rock 'n' roll, pop and hip-hop is the king of the music business," he explains. In his eyes, every freestyle dance move comes from him, much like Toula's father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding insists that every word derives from the Greek language. Checker didn't invent the twist -- that was songwriter Hank Ballard -- but he popularized the dance craze that grew into other dances. The pony, the hucklebuck and the fly are his moves and he maintains they live on in dances like the bop, the grind and the wave.

His latest single, "Limbo Rock Remixes," hit Billboard's top 20 Hot Dance Singles in January, but was largely ignored. "Radio is not playing my music," he says. His contemporaries, the Beatles, Buddy Holly and Elvis are still spun, but he is on limited rotation at best. Still, he challenges the extinction of his career every day. A gospel album is due early next year as is a CD of previously unrecorded originals.

Checker says he was invited to do a cameo on an episode of Friends, and told them he'd be glad to until he saw the script, which referred to him as being dead.

"I went on and in two minutes and 42 seconds changed the way we danced," he says, countering the lack of respect he feels from the mainstream. Recently, he attempted to make a case for his own fame with a good-natured protest outside a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Manhattan. He complained about his lack of airplay and says he wants a statue of himself in the Hall's courtyard in Cleveland, inviting visitors. He once said he would not accept an induction until he is honored for his contributions to music, but has since changed his mind.

"It's not good being overlooked," he concludes, saying even Philly hasn't given him props. Instead, he feels plagued by negative publicity in the media. "I'm just giving you the facts."

Chubby Checker performs Fri., April 16, 10 p.m., and Sat., April 17, 9 p.m., $35, Mississippi Ballroom, Showboat Casino, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J., 800-621-0200.