“THE TWIST” Was Released this Day in 1960
To this day, it is still the only record to reach #1 on the charts twice (with the same version). That hit version by Chubby Checker was first released on this very day in 1960. Below, you'll see an early performance by Mr. Checker, but that was not the real beginning of the story. The song was written by Hank Ballard, and Ballard's very similar original recording of the song was first released as the B-side of a marginal hit titled "Teardrops on You Letter" in the late 1950s. The song and the dance craze took a while to really catch on, but when they did, even socialites who'd previously thumbed their noses at rock and roll got into the action.