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Chubby Checker got the credit for "The Twist," but the real credit goes to HANK BALLARD who wr...

NPR Reviewed Jul 1, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
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HANK BALLARD wrote and recorded "The Twist" first in 1958
1958 · year
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Chubby Checker got the credit for "The Twist," but the real credit goes to HANK BALLARD who wrote the song and recorded it first (with the Midnighters') in 1958. BALLARD was a notorious figure in the early days of rhythm and blues. His song "Work with me Annie," was considered too lewd for many stations to play. Anyway, BALLARD gets the credit for "The Twist," in a new documentary, "Twist" by film maker RON MANN. Terry talks with both HANK BALLARD and RON MANN.

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