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CLEVELAND (WJW) – It’s fair to say Chubby Checker is synonymous with early rock ‘n’ roll. His version of ‘The Twist’ was instrumental in shaping the genre just one of many reasons the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selected Checker for induction at its November ceremony.
It’s too bad he’ll be skipping it.
At an appearance in July, Checker explained in front of an audience that his priorities had changed over the years, according to video from the event.
“I told my manager, I says, ‘Make sure when we go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the induction, that I’m doing what I love doing the most: being in front of an audience. A live audience. Not a television audience,” he said.
Sometime after coming to his decision, Checker said he spoke with a representative from the Rock Hall.
“We’re not coming,” Checker recalled telling the representative. “We have a gig.”
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LOS ANGELES – Circa 1979: Rock and Roll pioneer Chubby Checker poses for portraits in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images) -
Chubby Checker and Tony Orlando backstage at a Dick Clark reception in Los Angeles, California. **EXCLUSIVE** ***Exclusive*** (Photo by Brad Elterman/FilmMagic) -
Chubby Checker does the Twist at the Crescendo, a night club on the Sunset Strip. -
Studio portrait of pop celebrity Chubby Checker. (Photo by Michael Levin/Corbis via Getty Images) -
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 24: Chubby Checker attends Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney Fundraiser at the Princeton Club of New York on April 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) -
LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 10: Singer Chubby Checker attends Global Gaming Expo’s (G2E) sixth annual Casino Entertainment Awards at Vinyl inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on October 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images) -
OCEAN CITY, NJ – JULY 13: Recording artist Chubby Checker participates in the 65th Anniversary Night In Venice Boat Parade on July 13, 2019 in Ocean City, New Jersey. (Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images)
Checker did not indicate whether he had any ill will toward the Rock Hall, or if he simply didn’t feel like attending the ceremony. But he was previously appreciative of the Rock Hall’s decision to induct him in its 2025 class.
In a separate video posted to YouTube last month, Checker appeared gracious when being informed he was being inducted.
“I thank all of my peers who have elected me, and all of my wonderful fans of all this time, I appreciate you so much,” he said. “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I thank you for making me a member of the family. When I go through Cleveland in the car, I’ll think totally different than before, because a light has gone on in my life. When I’ll go through Cleveland, I’ll just be illuminated by all the good things that have happened to me in my lifetime. I am so thankful, I appreciate it, and I can’t say how wonderful it is that this has happened to me and I’m alive to enjoy it!”
A representative for the Rock Hall declined to comment on Checker’s plans.
Checker, born Ernest Evans, is probably best known for his rendition of “The Twist,” which popularized a dance craze of the same name, and had been called the biggest chart hit of all time by Billboard magazine.
The Rock Hall’s profile of Checker, now 83, also calls him “the undisputed king of 1960s rock & roll dance crazes.”
Checker is one of many artists being inducted with the Rock Hall of Fame’s 2025 class, along with Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Carole Kaye, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, The White Stripes, Salt-N-Pepa, Warren Zevon, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Lenny Waronker.
Kaye, meanwhile, had also previously said she wouldn’t be attending the ceremony, either. A prolific session bassist who played on songs including the “Mission: Impossible” theme song and The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” Kaye reportedly said that the award she’ll be receiving the Musical Excellence Award does not reflect the work that she and her fellow studio musicians performed.
