Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker was born Ernest Evans in South Carolina in 1941. He recorded "The Twist" in 1959, and that song sparked a dance craze that defined a moment in pop culture. The follow-up "Let's Twist Again" kept the momentum going, and for a while, his name was practically synonymous with the dance itself.

He had other hits like "Dancin Party" and even a version of "Jingle Bell Rock," but it was the Twist that stuck. The dance was simple enough for anyone to do, and that was part of its appeal. It wasn't about complicated steps; it was about the feeling.

Checker's career was built on that one massive idea. He performed it relentlessly, and the song had the rare distinction of hitting number one on the Billboard charts in two separate years, 1960 and 1962. That's a testament to how thoroughly it captured the public's imagination at the time.