Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Hank Ballard wrote “The Twist” in 1958 after seeing a bunch of Tampa kids doing the dance in one of the clubs on Central Av.

Chubby Checker covered the song, and made it a number one hit in 1960 and again in 1962.

Jack Harris wrote about the Twist in a recent column:

… the origin of the iconic tune was chronicled in the liner notes to Ballard’s album, “1960: Still Rockin.” which was given to me by a friend, Charles Knight. It said, “When Hank Ballard and the Midnighters released the single, ‘Teardrops on Your Letter’ in early 1959, they had no idea they were about to launch the biggest dance craze in pop history. The single’s flip side was ‘The Twist,’ which Ballard wrote after seeing kids doing the pelvis-swiveling maneuver in Tampa, Florida.” This was also reaffirmed by a radio interview with the artist, which was sent to me by a radio listener.

Ballard and the Midnighters were known to have made at least a couple of appearances at nightspots on the then vibrant Central Avenue, which was the heart of black social and cultural life until urban renewal and I-4 came along and destroyed it.

So unbeknownst to most, the Twist was the creation of some young African-Americans dancing in the street on Central Avenue. Apparently they shall forever remain anonymous, and the fame associated with creating arguably the most powerful dance tune of all time will forever belong entirely to Chubby and Hank.

You can also watch local musician Ronnie Elliott in a performance highlighting that the Twist was born in Tampa.