Sixties rock icon Chubby Checker won’t be attending his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony later this year.
The 83-year-old Grammy winner was among eight of 14 artists to appear on the nominee ballot for the first time in February, despite having been eligible since its inaugural class in 1986.
Checker is best known for his cover of Hank Ballard and the Midnighters’ “The Twist,” featured on his 1960 debut record, Twist with Chubby Checker.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s website, artists become eligible for nomination 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording.
In a clip circulating on social media from a concert last month, Checker revealed to fans that he’d rather continue performing in front of a live audience than attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s televised induction ceremony.
“I told my manager, I said, ‘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.
He explained that before his nomination, his manager had booked him for a show. However, once he earned a place among the 2025 class, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame told him to “forget” the gig so he could attend the October ceremony in Los Angeles.
“I said we’re not coming,” Checker recalled. “We never forget about gigs.”
Checker, whose recordings of “The Twist,” and subsequent “Let’s Twist Again” are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, has previously expressed frustration that he hadn’t been granted entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier.
“I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old. I’ll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling,” he told the Associated Press in 2014.
This year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class includes pop star Cyndi Lauper, the rock duo the White Stripes, and grunge masters Soundgarden.
Other first-time nominees include British supergroup Bad Company, American rock band The Black Crowes, the late rocker Joe Cocker, legendary singer-songwriter Billy Idol, Mexican rock band Maná, hip-hop pioneers Outkast, and American rock band Phish.
Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status, and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will also be honored with the Musical Influence Award.
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