A famous singer is skipping his long-awaited induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Chubby Checker is scheduled to be inducted into the Rock Hall on Nov. 8, but recently revealed he won’t be attending. Instead, he booked another concert for the same night — on purpose.
“We’re not coming. We have a gig,” Checker told the crowd at a July 27 concert in Des Plaines, Illinois. “I told my manager, ‘Make sure when we go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and 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.’”
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the Rock Hall appears to be OK with Checker’s decision. The organization presented him with his induction trophy at the concert, nearly four months before all the other inductees will receive their award.
Checker has complained for decades about not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, famously stating in 2002 that he deserves a statue at its Cleveland museum for his trailblazing career. In May, he said he was happy to finally be honored, but told Variety he still thinks he should have a statue — and more airplay on the radio and in supermarkets like other Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, “like Billy Joel, The Beatles, Elton John or Fleetwood Mac: Everywhere.”
Checker has not announced details of where he’ll be performing on Nov. 8, but he made it clear he’ll be happier in front of fans.
“Chubby goes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he’s an old guy, he’s probably retired, he’s not doing anything. Maybe he has crutches and he’s coming to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to get his little award and go back home,” he told his fans in Des Plaines. “I said, ‘No. Let’s be doing a show like I’m doing today.’ This shows that I’m alive and well and the audience is wonderful and my dream is still being fulfilled, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is happening all at the same time.”
He’s not the only one refusing to attend this year’s ceremony, too. Fellow 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Carol Kaye, a bassist who was part of a legendary group of session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, said in June she won’t attend “because it wasn’t something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits.”
Checker and Kaye will still be named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which will also induct Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Bad Company, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes. Other honorees include Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon, who will both receive the Musical Influence Award.
The ceremony will stream live on Disney+ and be available on Hulu the next day.
Checker, 83, is most famous for “The Twist,” which hit No. 1 in 1960 and 1962 and was named the top song on Billboard’s all-time Hot 100 chart. His decades-long career also includes “Pony Time,” “Let’s Twist Again” and his version of “Limbo Rock.”
He has frequently performed in Syracuse and Upstate New York, but said in May he was “not invited back” to this year’s New York State Fair. Checker performed at the NYS Fair six times, including the last three years in a row, but officials said fairgoers wanted to see “new musical acts” and more diversity.
“The New York State Fair congratulates Chubby Checker on his historic induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which is a true testament to the impact he has had on American music history. The Fair considers Chubby to be an integral part of the Fair family and has been honored to host him several times, bringing his timeless classics to fairgoers of all ages,” Fair officials told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard in a statement. “However, after hearing from fairgoers last year that they were interested in seeing an expanded concert lineup with new musical acts, the Fair has been working hard this year to diversify the entertainment schedule for the 2025 Fair. We wish we could bring in all of our favorites every year, but are excited to introduce some new musical acts to the Fairgrounds.”
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Chubby Checker opens the 2024 NYS Fair concert seriesCharlie Miller
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