There are several versions of the specific origins of the dance that became known as the Twist and of the song that either triggered or grew out of it. According to one, a group called the Nightingales was first offered a song which went: "Come on baby, let's do the twist" by one of its members, Joe Wallace, who was prompted by a dance that his younger sister and her friends were doing. The gospel group was not allowed to record secular material, and the song was passed on to Ballard who re-created it, using a melodic line he took from a song of the previous year, Is Your Love for Real?, which had been a flop for the group.

Hank Ballard
November 18, 1936?-March 2, 2003