Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker made social dancing a pop language. Born Ernest Evans in South Carolina and raised in Philadelphia, he broke through at the turn of the 1960s with a rock and R&B style built for the floor. Signed to Cameo-Parkway, his 1960 version of The Twist turned a Hank Ballard song into a dance everyone could learn. The run that followed — Twist with Chubby Checker, For Twisters Only, It’s Pony Time, Let’s Twist Again, Limbo Party — stacked new steps on brisk grooves and simple, repeatable refrains that invite the crowd to join in.

Through the 60s he appeared in dance-focused films and teen TV shows, tying his tracks to the moves they sparked. Since then, he’s kept a regular touring schedule in the US and Europe, staying close to that blend of early rock and roll, R&B and catchy, danceable pop.

Chubby Checker plays on March 10, 2026 at The Avalon Theatre, 6380 Fallsview Boulevard, Niagara Falls. On the program: the twist, the pony, maybe a limbo, and a catalog where concise rhythms and sing-along hooks keep the room moving.