Grammy-nominated choreographer, dancer, recording artist, director, producer, actress and street dance historian Toni Basil celebrated the 40th anniversary of her hit “Hey Mickey” going No. 1 on Billboard with an intimate conversation highlighting extraordinary moments of her career. The multi-talented legend discussed everything from her childhood to her career kicking off in the 60s as the go-to go-go dancer, to working with Elvis Presley and recent work within Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
Television presenter and producer Tina Malavé moderated the conversation touching on key moments of Toni Basil’s career. Basil was welcomed into the Clive Davis Theater room with a standing ovation as fans, friends and family cheered for the icon. Attendees had the opportunity to see the original cheerleading costume from Basil’s “Mickey” music video and one of her outfits used for the 1970 dance group The Lockers. Guests even witnessed Bail’s dance colleagues and friends demonstrate the signature The Lockers handshake.
Basil recollected watching over 1,000 acts and performances in her father’s theatre. She recalled how everyone would part and make way for little Toni to walk through the hallway. She fondly reminisced on her realization of wanting to be on the stage having a crowd cheer for her.
In the 60s Basil became a popular dancer in go-go beach movies and nicknamed “The Goddess of Go-Go” by Quentin Tarantino. Basil stated that her life forever changed the day she watched the 1961 musical West Side Story in a theatre in Los Angeles. Inspired to work much harder in her dancing and choreography, Basil landed quite a few roles in many Elvis Presley movies including Viva Las Vegas in which she literally plays the girl with the red dress. Basil went on to choreograph for the 1965 film Village of the Giants, The Monkees’ 1968 film Head, and lead dance for Robin and the 7 Hoods.
Basil returned to LA to find that twist dance competitions were done for and clubs were the new thing. During one of her nights out dancing, Basil met Don “Campbellock” Campbell at a club. In 1971 they formed The Lockers, the first street dance group accredited as the pioneers of street dance. Slim The Robot, an original member of The Lockers, remarked that the group went on to perform over 100 shows on television and stages including opening for Frank Sinatra, Saturday Night Live, Soul Train, the Radio City Music Hall, and more. Basil went on to choreograph for major music artists such as David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, she even choreographed for Tina Turner in exchange for music lessons. Basil received the Hip Hop International’s highest award the Living Legend of Hip Hop award in 2008.
In 1981, Basil released her debut album, Word of Mouth, which includes her hit song “Hey Mickey.” Basil discussed her desire of wanting to create some sort of cheerleader song, but as time went on it was altered to a pop song with a cheerleader chant. Basil accredited some of the cheerleaders in her music video, real championship cheerleaders from Carson High School and which some attended the event, to have helped her write the cheer. Nearly 40 years after its release, Basil finally obtain the US rights to her hit “Hey Mickey” in May 2022.
It’s without a doubt that Toni Basil has lived an extraordinary life and has an extensively astounding résumé, but a two-hour discussion was simply not enough to cover all her incredible stories. Throughout her conversation at the Grammy Museum, Basil hinted at an autobiography book in which she might tell all including her romances and possible affairs. For the meantime she shares many of her memories on her YouTube channel ToniBasilsHouse.
Toni Basil continues to impact the world of dance as she currently serves as a judge for street dancing competitions. Basil ended the evening with a final statement, “there’s nothing I love to do more than dance than to talk about it.” Watch the music video for “Hey Mickey” below.
Leave a Comment