Joey and the Twisters was a Twist (dance)

Twist (dance)

The Twist was a dance inspired by rock and roll music. It became the first worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s, enjoying immense popularity among young people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed...

 group formed from remnants of the original Royal Teens

Royal Teens

The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The...

 around 1961. The group was led by Teens vocalist Joey Villa (aka Joe Francovilla), along with several other members from the local Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 Doo-Wop

Doo-wop

The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...

 scene. The band played regularly at the Peppermint Lounge

Peppermint Lounge

The Peppermint Lounge was a popular discotheque located at 128 West 45th Street in New York City that was open from 1958 to 1965. It was the launchpad for the global Twist craze in the early 1960s, and also where Go-Go dancing originated....

 in Manhattan, alongside Joey Dee and the Starliters

Joey Dee and the Starliters

Joey Dee and The Starliters is an American popular music team. Best known for their successful million-selling recording "Peppermint Twist" , the group was initiated by Joey Dee.-Early singles:...

 and other acts.

The Twisters never released an album, but did release several singles on Duel Records, including remakes of Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...

's "Jailer, Bring me Water," Bobby Freeman's "Do You Want to Dance," and "Bony Maronie," and penned "Peppermint Twist Time" in honor of the club that gave them a home.

They did launch on a national tour, the highlight of which was playing the Dream Room in New Orleans, and they appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand on New Year's Day, 1962.

The group dissolved as the Twist fell out of fashion. Joey Villa continued playing as a solo artist. Bob Azzara and Louis Burgio, along with friend Flip Cesario, who briefly played with the Royal Teens, later formed the band Mardi Gras (music group)

Mardi Gras (music group)

Mardi Gras was a New York based rock and roll group. They released several singles which were hits throughout Europe in 1970 and 1971, followed by an eponymous album in 1972, on Peter Anders and Vini Poncia's Map City Records label...

.

Members

• Joey Villa - Vocals
• Bob Azzara - piano
• Albert Leonardis - drums
• Frankie Natale - saxophone