Chubby Checker brings ‘The Twist’ to historic Alamo Theater Nov. 22

Chubby Checker has chosen Historic Downtown Newnan as his Georgia location to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the legendary song, “The Twist.”

The historic Alamo Theater will be the host of the legendary singer and his band, the Wildcats, on Nov. 22 as a benefit concert for the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta.

This will be Checker’s only show in Georgia. Other shows in the South will be in Mississippi and Florida.

Checker’s manager, Tommy C., chose the location on a recent visit to Georgia. He was immediately impressed with the look and the history of the venue and felt that downtown Newnan had the right “feel” for the celebration, said Main Street Newnan representative Linda Kee.

“I couldn’t have thought of a better charity than the local Boys and Girls Club. They make such an impact in our community. When I approached Main Street Newnan, they immediately agreed to help and the event took off from there,” said Alamo co-owner Amy Murphy. “How exciting for the citizens of Newnan to be able to see Chubby Checker perform in the same place that many of them used to come to the movies in high school.”

Tickets will be $75, limited to 300, and will go on sale Oct. 15, Kee said. They will be available at the Boys and Girls Club on Wesley Street, the Alamo, or Fabiano’s Pizza on West Court Square in downtown Newnan. Information is available by calling 770-683-2683.

The city of Newnan will be proclaiming Nov. 23 “Chubby Checker Day.” The Adopt-A-Soldier Program will also be holding an antique car show from 2 p.m.–7 p.m. the afternoon of Nov. 22 prior to the concert.

The show will have a ‘50s and ‘60s theme and feature a twist contest and special prizes. For more information on the car show, call 770-328-4763.

Checker’s monster hit actually was a cover of a song first recorded by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters in late 1959 that became a moderate hit in early 1960.

Later that year, Checker recorded the song and popularized the dance on the TV show American Bandstand. The song went to number one on the Billboard Magazine charts in 1960 and again in 1962, becoming the only single to ever reach number one in two separate chart runs.

A followup hit, “Let’s Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer,” actually became more popular than the original in the United Kingdom.

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