Fact #93233

Hank Ballard And The Midnighters release a new single, Teardrops On Your Letter, on King Records in the USA. The b-side of the single, a dance number called The Twist is virtually ignored until 1961 when music biz mogul Dick Clark is inspired to create a cover version of The Twist with vocals handled by a professional impersonator, Ernest Evans, recently re-named Chubby Checker. The impersonation is so exact that when Ballard first hears it on the radio, he believes he is listening to his own recording. Nevetheless, boosted by national exposure on Clark's tv show American Bandstand, Checker's version becomes a gigantic international hit, sparking off the twist dance craze.