Do you think about that at all when you remember the first music that impacted you here in the States? But also ‘The Twist’ was kind of pop Black music, but it made you shake your groin, your hips.ĪS: There’s a long history in America, especially at the time that you came to the country, of Black Americans and Jewish Americans working closely together in places like New York City. And I was the ‘Twist’ champion of my school. And then he had, ‘Let’s Twist Again,’ which also became a hit-number one. He covered it and sounded a lot like Hank Ballard.

Even Chubby Checker-I became a ‘Twist’ champion when he did the twist, which was originally recorded by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. That made your bottom, your groin shake and move in ways that white music didn’t. The white guys were okay and they appealed to the chicks and everything. And then after that, Jackie Wilson and, you know, all those guys. The original guys I heard that impacted my life basically was Black music. Bone or any of those guys until much later on. All those African-Americans that made all of it work. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino. But the first music I heard was, I guess, the founding fathers of rock. I happen to be there and the family asked me to do the eulogy for Chuck Berry, which, obviously, is a great honor. Ironically, I did the eulogy at Chuck’s funeral. And the first music I heard was Chuck Berry.

Maybe it was 1858-see what I did there? That was a joke. Gene Simmons: I was probably nine years of age. American Songwriter: When did music first enter your life as a young person?

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