Readers' Poll: The Top 10 Classic Dance Songs

"The Twist" was written and recorded by Hank Ballard in 1959. The next year, Chubby Checker sang it on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, kicking off a national dance craze that lasted for two years. He followed it up with "Let's Twist Again" in 1961 and "Slow Twistin'" in 1962. That year, the Twist dance spread into nightclubs like New York's Peppermint Lounge and the charts were full of Twist songs, including Sam Cooke's "Twistin' the Night Away," the Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout" and the Marvelettes' "Twistin' Postman." Checker remains a regular presence on the oldies circuit.