By Keith Rylattk (217.137.91.45) on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 12:29 pm:

I don't know what status Chubby has in the rest of the world but in the UK he is a well respected, Soul singer. His `(At The) Discotheque` is a Northern Soul anthem, as are `Cu Ma La Be Stay`, `Hey You, Little Boo Ga Loo` & `You Just Don't Know (what you do to me girl)`. The latter title incidentally, goes for around £500, ($750) because of its rarity. Anyhow, the reason for this posting is that today I bought a 45 of his on Cameo Parkway at a charity shop (thrift store) and noted that the B side, `Rosie` was penned by Philly big boys, Billy Jackson & Jimmy Wisner. Under their credits is - 17 Savile Row, (the publisher). Does anyone know anything about them? Does anyone in the US rate Chubby?, after all he did help us all discover Detroit's Hank Ballard!
PS Don't even bother looking for this disc, both this side and the top side, `Lazy Elsie Molly` are crap! Keith

By Randy Russi (169.139.180.100) on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 01:53 pm:

Chubby still performs all over the U.S. and makes
GOOD money for appearances. He also has invest-
ments in other projects that bring him a nice
income. He draws well at his performances and
his show, in my opinion, is very good--fun,sing
along music. He performs his old hits as they
were. I remember the song Lazy Elsie Molly from
about 63 or 64.

By Eli (205.188.209.109) on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 03:34 pm:

That address my tie in with Abkco, the company which Allen Klein owned which purchased Cameo/ Parkway.
Chubby has lost his glory here decades ago, although he does work for decent earnings as previously stated.

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 03:35 pm:

I think Chubby is the real deal for what he does. Caught him on TV recently and he is looking well.

By Lynn Bruce (69.14.140.151) on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 09:18 am:

I backed up Chubby in Wildwood,N.J.,Ottawa,Canada,the Michigan State fair.The guy can whip up a crowd into a dancing frenzy better than just about any singer.

By dvdmike (68.72.97.38) on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 06:02 pm:

I met him a few years ago at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He was there to sing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch.

By R&B (138.238.41.128) on Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 04:12 pm:

IF HE NEVER SANG ANOTHER NOTE CHUBBY WILL ALWAYS BE THE MAN WHO HAD A NO.1 HIT TWICE WITH THE SAME SONG.

By Mark Speck (199.183.75.50) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 01:21 am:

His other Northern sides are pretty good as well: "She Wants T' Swim" and "Everything's Wrong" (much better than the Cooperettes' version, IMO).

From what I heard, Chubby also has become a successful businessman, noted for, of all things, marketing his own brand of beef jerky!

And he also made the news not too long ago for his shameless lobbying to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The man has talent...and a bit of an inflated ego, it seems.

Best,

Mark

By RD (63.188.32.53) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 01:55 am:

Chubby Checker and the other sixties teen idols: Rydell, Avalon, Anka, Vee, Vinton, etc., should be in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. If they had recorded for Atlantic Records or one of the other connected entities they would be in there.

By Anonymous & Curious (205.188.209.109) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 04:20 am:

Hmmm... oh by the way,
Has anyone ever seen Chubby Chuck going out with any girls?

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 07:47 am:

I'm not convinced that the Bobbys Vee, Vinton and Rydell, and Messrs Anka and Avalon actually had any connection with Rock'n'Roll. Wasn't theirs mostly the kind of manufactured Schlock-Pop that effectively killed off true Rock'n'Roll for a few years, by replacing it with an industry-sponsored and controllable RnR substitute? But - thank heaven you didn't include Fabian ;o)

By RD (63.188.33.92) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 08:45 am:

What does the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame have to do with rock music? It's a popular music hall of fame that encompasses many genres. Are you saying the Motown artists inducted are rock artists? The teen idols I mentioned and some others were very popular in America and inspired teen dance shows like American Bandstand and its copy cats, and magazines like 16. To continue to pretend this era of music didn't exist and have no merit is ridiculous. And you missed the point: which is, if Chubby Checker had recorded for Atlantic Records he would be in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame right now, would have made it in the first handful of induction ceremonies. It's all political and I guess the Philly recording artists (many teen idols were from Philly) don't rate with the powers that be at the RNRHOF.

By TonyRussi (68.18.226.172) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 09:02 am:

Chubby Checker SHOULD be in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Next to Elvis & Rick Nelson he was the biggest male Rock Artist of the early 60's.

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 09:27 am:

Sorry, guys - didn't mean to provoke a cross-cultural argument here. It was only an observation, from the far side of the Atlantic, where the terms "Rock" and "Rock'n'Roll" are understood in a different way. No, I don't consider the Motown artists as "Rock" any more than I would class Herman's Hermits or Britney Spears - or Chubby Checker, for that matter. And I personally don't pretend that the early sixties pop era didn't exist - I enjoy the music, as my record collection will testify - but I don't consider it as Rock'n'Roll or "Rock". It's Pop, which has always been the backbone of the music industry, and I suspect always will be. As for Chubby Checker - it's an interesting hypothesis. If he had recorded for Atlantic, he'd have worked with a different set of producers and writers and his repertoire would most likely have been totally different. He may have been a no-hit-wonder in New York. Who can say? Fortunately, he was in the right place at the right time, and no - I wouldn't deny him a place in the hall of fame.

By Lynn Bruce (69.14.140.151) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 10:31 am:

From seeing the fine looking ladies that would be going out with Chubby after our gigs,I'd have to assume that he's straight.

It's funny how the older people in the early 60s would call all the above so-called pop singers--rock and roll singers. Now we start calling them pop singers? Granted they weren't heavy-duty rock or soul singers,but they were on all the rock tours I backed up.They did the same shows as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers,the Drifters, the Coasters,Chuck Berry,Fats Domino,----- you get the picture.

Your judging them by the kind of music they sang later in their years.

It may sound like easy-listening music to our more sophisticated ears now, but back in the day, they were part of the rock crowd.

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 10:44 am:

Sorry, Lynn - it's just different terminology. Over here, we tend to associate "Rock" with groups like Led Zeppelin or artists like Bruce Stringbeen. Anyone who's a "Rock fan" over here usually wouldn't be found dead listening to R&B, so you can count me WELL out of that particular bunch!

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 11:03 am:

Chubby Checker married a beautiful European woman who was a former Miss World contestant in the mid 1960s.

Lynn raised a great point with the pop-rock thing. During Checker's reign, pop music (or popular music) was Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis. Rock & Roll (or rock music) was the stuff American Bandstand and Alan Freed played. One had nothing to do with the other. Today, we call rock & roll (or certain rock & roll artists) pop music or pop artists.

Interesting what happens when times change...

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By FrankM (212.250.156.11) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:12 pm:

And he also made the news not too long ago for his shameless lobbying to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The man has talent...and a bit of an inflated ego, it seems.

Best,

Mark
My understanding of this is that he would be in the rock'n'roll hall of fame but he insists that a statue of him is erected in Cleveland.

Check this out.
http://www.chubbychecker.com/letter.html

BTw I played At the discoteque at a soul session in a bar in Glasgow yesterday afternoon.

Frankm

By Michael/cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:18 pm:

As has previously been stated in this thread, Chubby Checker still does well performing all over the world and unlike a lot of his compatriots made extremely smart investments with his money. He was a multi-millionaire by the late 60's. I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but a statue?

By Eli (172.162.110.209) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:21 pm:

HOW HUMBLE!!!!

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:34 pm:

How low can you go...?


(A quote from Limbo Rock, of course)

By Eli (172.162.110.209) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:36 pm:

Nice one Mr. Hardin!!!!!!

By Lynn Bruce (69.14.140.151) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:41 pm:

ZOUNDS!! After reading his thoughts, methinketh his head doth grow larger than his body!!

By Eli (172.162.110.209) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 12:44 pm:

His head was ALREADY larger than his body!!!!

By Eli (151.197.219.220) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 11:00 pm:

A similar full page article appeared in Billboard as well!!!

By TonyRussi (68.210.2.213) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 08:20 am:

I think there should be a statue of Chubby Checker at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and a better statue of the Supremes.I've never been there but everyone has told me how bad the statue is of the Supremes (even worse then the one of them at the Motown Cafe at Universal Orlando).

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:00 am:

I saw the same full page advertisement in Billboard that Bobby Eli saw regarding Chubby Checker. While I do admire his talents and the fact he had a number one hit in 1960 and 1962 with "The Twist", the ad did smack of arrogance & ego.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 03:13 pm:

So Chubby Checker thinks he deserves a statue for getting to # 1? OK - anybody want to lobby for the
Singing Nun ?

Davie

By Eli (141.151.1.101) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 03:58 pm:

Davie...I will mate!!!! Change of Habit, maybe!!

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:02 pm:

I kinda liked the Singing Nun's "Dominique" and she was a humble woman so why not a statue?
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:04 pm:

Well at least she won't expect us to bow down to it :-)

Davie

By Keith Rylatt (217.137.89.52) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:14 pm:

How about I sneak on to my village green tonite and knock up a 50 foot statue of Chubby & the Singing Nun in a similar pose to the cover of Chick Willis' `Stoop Down Baby` LP on La Val? After all it is from Kalamazoo! Keith

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:18 pm:

I hear that in the Philips Records vaults there's an unissued duet between Soeur Sourire (the Singing Nun) and Sally Field - a cover version of Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly With Me".

By RD (63.188.33.124) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 04:10 pm:

Chubby wanting a statue of himself in the RRHOF is not an unsual request. There are other statues in the building.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 04:14 pm:

Keith, if you've been listening to Chick Willis
I don't think I want to hear about you "knocking
up" statues LOL - I haven't seen Chuck's album
but I think I get the picture.

You'll go to the bad fire for thinking
that way about the Singing Nun !

Davie

By TonyRussi (68.210.2.213) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 04:19 pm:

People like the Singing Nun, Frank Sinatra,Dean Martin, Al Hirt, Louis Armstrong ect. ect.were not Rock artist and were played on Top 40 radio because there were few radio stations in most markets.These peoples records(45's) were purchased mainly by adults.In the early 60's 45's outsold LP's I would think by a 10 to one margin.Chubby Checker was a mega superstar to the rock n rollers & had about 25 top 40 hits...manythat were top ten and #1 "Pony Time" another BIG dance ect. he should not have to lobby to be in the Rock N Roll Hall of Shame I mean Fame. He is the Epitome of Rock.If he isn't inducted it is just further proof of the stupidity of that insignificant organization.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 05:29 pm:

Tony, I admire your loyalty to the artists you
like but "The Epitome of Rock" ? - isn't that a
touch over the top ?

My understanding is that induction into the Rock
Hall of Fame is based not only on sales but on
the influence that artist has had on the development of the music. I won't argue with you
about Chubby Checker's chart history - that's not
in doubt - but as for being an influence on
other artists ? - I think we're gonna have to agree to differ on that one.

Davie

By RD (63.188.33.124) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 05:45 pm:

I agree with Tony on this one. I was a young preteen going into teen years when Chubby Checker exploded. He was very influential. He made the dance record popular. So many singers tried to duplicate Checker's success. Prior to the Beatles and Motown Chubby was huge. People who watched the teen dance shows know about Chubby; one of his dance tunes was played nearly every show.

One problem with the Rock Hall of Fame for people of that era in music is that there is not much in there representing the Checker and other teen idols. They really should have their own wing.