"Twisting at the Woodchopper's Ball" was the first Canadian single to top the International Charts.RPM Weekly Volume 11 No.13 May 26, 1969, Obituary: Ronn Metcalf

Ronn Metcalfe Ronn Metcalfe (July 20, 1930May 18, 1969) was a Canadian big band leader from St. Catharines and a music industry leader. He released an LP named after the title track " Twistin' at the Woodchopper's Ball" which garnered him a gold record. He use ...

released an LP named after the title track, "Twistin' at the Woodchopper's Ball", which garnered him a

gold record Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. The album was a good example of high calibre musicianship combined with well written arrangements.Toronto Daily Star Saturday March 17, 1962, Man About Jazz, Metcalfe Band's 'Twistin Music of High Calibre' by Dave Caplan Metcalfe would ride the success of this album to create a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

scene Scene (from Greek ') may refer to: General * Scene (performing arts), a part of the story held in a single location * Scene (perception), a set of information that can flow from a physical environment into a perceptual system via sensory tran ...

in Niagara,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Metcalfe, "Canada's King of Swing", paid $7000 to produce the LP, including the single release from the album, which was chosen "Pick of the Week" in ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' magazine. Metcalfe said of the song, "This is the way back to the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

s." "Twisting at the Woodchopper's Ball" was a hit recording written by Ronn Metcalfe, based on

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

's "

Woodchopper's Ball "Woodchopper's Ball", also known as "At the Woodchopper's Ball" is a 1939 jazz composition by Joe Bishop and Woody Herman. The up-tempo blues tune in D-flat major was the Woody Herman Orchestra's biggest hit, as well as the most popular compositio ...

" (1939). It was recorded by the 19 piece Ronn Metcalfe Orchestra (of

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

, Canada) on the Barry label and distributed by

Quality Records Quality Records was a Canadian entertainment company which released music albums in Canada on behalf of American record labels. They also released recordings by Canadian artists. The company operated between 1950 and 1985 with offices in Toron ...

Ltd., of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

(released on February 19, 1962).Release notice from Quality Records Limited It rose to the top of the charts in Canada (Hit Parade Charts), and made the WLS (Chicago) Top 40 in 1962.

References

{{reflist 1962 singles Canadian rock songs 1962 songs