It was an ordinary day. The year was 1961-62 and I was a senior at Manheim Township High School in Neffsville, Pennsylvania. At the end of the school day I would hop in my 1953 Henry J and head home to 929 N. Queen Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Almost always made it home in time to watch one of my favorite shows...American Bandstand! At 4:00 PM the host of the show, Dick Clark would appear and the next hour would be filled with the best songs of my generation. All the new dances began on American Bandstand, usually with the artist who made that particular dance popular. Can't imagine what my mom must have thought of some of the dances as she passed the black and white TV set on her way to make supper for the family. Dances such as The Twist, The Loco-Motion, The Mashed Potato, The Watusi, The Funky Chicken, The Hitch Hike, The Jerk and The Monkey were all dances that were started in the early 1960s. As I sit here typing this I can hardly believe it was 60 years ago that these dances made the scene on American Bandstand. Also hard to believe that the MC of the show, Dick Clark, died eight years ago. And...even harder to believe that I actually danced to some of that stuff that I watched on YouTube. I guess I should clarify that last sentence, since what I did most of the time didn't look anything like what I witnessed on the TV screen. And that, my friends, was why I did it at home by myself! No way could I do that in front of my friends and not feel like a jerk. Of course, many thought of me as a jerk anyway, so I guess it wouldn't have mattered. As far as some of my favorite dances...I'll follow with a bit of information to give you a few hints as to what the dance might have been like.
The Twist: The song was actually introduced in 1959 as the B-side of the record "Teardrops On Your Letter" by Hank Ballard. Dick Clark observed teens doing the dance in Florida and before long Cameo Records had Chubby Checker sing it because he had a more wholesome image that appealed to parents. It swept the country, but waned in the mid-60s when parents started dancing to it, much to the embarrassment of their kids. I must admit, my mom and dad wouldn't have been caught dead dancing the Twist.
The Watusi: This dance was inspired by African Dance. The 1950 hit film, King Solomon's Mines, and its sequel, Watusi, were the inspiration for the 1960s dance craze. Watusi is the traditional name of Africa's Tutsi people, known for their elaborate dances. In 1962 The Orlons released the single and the dance became an instant hit. Eventually the Isley Brothers and Annette Funicello also recorded the song.
The Mashed Potato: The Contours recorded the song "Do You Love Me" in 1962 which is what you danced the Mashed Potato to, but the moves that were used to do the dance were made famous by James Brown a few years earlier. Then King Coleman sang "Do the Mashed Potatoes", James Brown sang "Mashed Potato Time", Billy Thorpes and the Aztecs released "Mashed Potato", and Dee Dee Sharp released "Gravy For My Mashed Potatoes."
These were the three dances that I enjoyed the most and actually tried to do...but not in front of anyone. Check out the following YouTube videos and see what these three dances might have looked like 60 years ago. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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