Twistin' the night away
Chubby Checker to help Glendale’s Cruise Night Car Show and Street Party set a Guinness World Record dancing The Twist
By Carl Kozlowski 07/15/2010
The streets of Glendale will be shakin’ Saturday night when the 17th Annual Glendale Cruise Night Car Show and Street Party gets under way, featuring the legendary Chubby Checker and an attempt to set the Guinness Book World Record for the largest number of people doing his famous dance, The Twist, at once.
The effort to top the previous record of 1,691 people doing The Twist at one time will also serve as Checker’s official celebration of the 50th anniversary of his career-defining song of the same name.
The Street Party, which each year draws more than 35,000 people, will also feature performances by Beach Boys tribute band Surfin’ Safari, along with the classic-rock super-group The Icons, which includes members of The Standells, The Troggs, Quicksilver Messenger Service and We Five. Former “Adam-12” star Kent McCord will serve as the celebrity judge of the annual car contest, while longtime favorite KRTH radio deejay Brian Beirne returns as the event’s official emcee and talent booker.
“I think this is going to be an exciting night, as it’s the 50th anniversary of ‘The Twist’ and we’re going for the Guinness World Record. We certainly hope to beat it that night, and we invite people from Glendale and the surrounding area for the special event,” says Beirne. “The old record was 1,691 people doing the Twist, and I’m sure our area folks can beat that.”
A special area has been blocked off for the giant dance, at the intersection of Milford Street and Brand Boulevard. There will be designated areas at which dancers can file into both sides of Milford starting at 8 p.m., while Checker takes the stage at that intersection at 9 p.m. Beirne assures potential participants that the record-setting attempt will not begin “until we get everyone we can through there.”
It should come as no surprise that a large crowd is expected for the dance, since recording industry trade magazine Billboard has classified “The Twist” as the most popular single in the history of the rock era. Checker, now 68, launched the dance craze in 1960 at the age of 18, when he covered Hank Ballard’s R&B dance classic “The Twist.” It is the only song in the history of the rock era to re-enter the Billboard charts and seize the No. 1 position a second time.
Another big change at this year’s event is that officials expanded the range of years in which cars can be spotlighted in the show. In the past, cars were only allowed if they were from the pre-1976 era, but this year, cars from pre-1979 are allowed.
“We’ve had tremendous response from people with ’77, ’78 and ’79 classic cars that would like to participate,” says Ritch Wells, Glendale’s public information officer. “We started Car Night in 1994 when Pasadena was playing host to the World Cup soccer championship. We tried to capture the attention of people going to the World Cup and it’s since taken on a life of its own as one of the premiere classic car and truck shows in Southern California.”
The evening’s free fun begins at 5:30 p.m. with a performance by The Icons, followed by Surfin’ Safari at
7 p.m. The classic cars will be on display from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. along Brand Boulevard, between Milford Street and Broadway. The stage is located at Milford Street. Call (818) 548-6464 or glendalecruisenight.com.
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I'd like to set "larbabe" straight. ICONS consists of Tony Valentino, original guitarist, co-founder and FORMER member of The Standells (40 years); Richard Moore, lead guitarist, songwriter and FORMER member of The Troggs; Michael Lewis, keyboardist, songwriter, co-producer and FORMER member of Quicksilver Messenger Service (20 years); Terry Rangno, bassist and vocalist with We Five (over 30 years); and session drummer and vocalist Duane Waider.
This is an outstanding band made up of '60s & '70s legendary musicians. An experience not to be missed!
posted by wombatml on 7/17/10 @ 12:10 a.m.
"The Icons, which includes members of The Standells, The Troggs, Quicksilver Messenger Service and We Five."
This is very misleading. All of these musicians are 'ex-members' of the groups listed, most are not even the original members (3rd and 4th generation). The Standells is a protected service mark, which may not be used under any circumstances without express permission. The Standells are very actively performing today. They just finished an extensive European tour. Any inference that a present member is part of the Icons is completely false.