Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” was inducted as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Single in 2018.
Checker’s recording transformed a dance song into a cross-generational pop phenomenon. The track was originally written and recorded by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, but Checker’s 1960 version became the defining hit. Its easy-to-follow dance helped make the Twist a national craze.
The Rock Hall introduced its Singles category in 2018 to recognize landmark recordings, including songs by artists who had not yet entered the Hall as performers. “The Twist” was one of six inaugural selections. Checker himself was not inducted as a performer until 2025, a distinction that often causes confusion.
“The Twist” is also easily mixed up with “Let’s Twist Again,” another major Checker hit from 1961. “Pony Time” and “Limbo Rock” were important chart successes too, but they were not the Chubby Checker single honored in the Rock Hall’s inaugural 2018 group.