Saturday 16 February 2013

Kalin Twins born 16 February 1934



The Kalin Twins (b. February 16, 1934, Port Jervis, New York) were a pop music recording duo, (comprising twin brothers Hal and Herbie Kalin d. August 24, 2005 and July 21, 2006, respectively). They sang like a pop-focused version of the Everly Brothers, and they charted a few catchy records in 1958, including one Top Five hit. They represent one of the better acts to find a compromise between rock & roll and pop music, even if they weren’t the Everlys by a long shot.(Many references give their birth date as 1939 but this was a Decca 
Records diversion, in an attempt to make them appear younger than they were).

Their first public performances came at just five years of age at a local Christmas party, and the bug stayed with them. They graduated from Port Jervis High School in June 1952, but plans to break into the music industry were delayed when Hal 
was drafted into the Air Force as a radio operator. They kept in touch during this period, recording and writing songs on a tape recorder and sending them back and forth. After Hal’s discharge in 1956 they set about resurrecting their double act. During these early struggles a demo single was pressed, combining the compositions ‘Beggar Of Love’ and ‘The Spider And The Fly’. The result was an audition for Decca, and their first single proper, ‘Jumpin’ Jack’/‘Walkin’ To School’.

While searching through piles of writers’ demo tapes to find a suitable follow-up the twins discovered a song entitled ‘When’, written by Paul Evans and Jack Reardon. It became their second single. However, the record company chose to plug its flip side, ‘Three O’Clock Thrill’, instead. It was not until disc jockeys belatedly began to play ‘When’ that the single took off. It reached number 5 in the Billboard charts but topped the UK charts for no less than five weeks (selling over two million copies worldwide). 

 
 

Coast to coast touring of the USA ensued before a two week engagement at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in England (later dates introduced Cliff Richard as support artist on his first national tour). The subsequent ‘Forget Me Not’ and ‘Oh! My Goodness’ both made reasonable showings in the Billboard charts, but neither entered the UK equivalent. Two more minor US hits followed, ‘It’s Only The Beginning’ and ‘Sweet Sugar Lips’, but their remaining Decca sides failed to sell. With the arrival of the Beatles there seemed little place in the market for the Kalin Twins’ innocent harmonies, although a further single, ‘Sometimes It Comes, Sometimes It Goes’ for Amy Records, did appear in 1966.

Disillusioned with their diminishing rewards, the brothers mutually agreed to return to their day jobs, with each pursuing college degrees. They did not perform again until 1977 when a friend booked them to appear weekly at his new
night spot, the River Boat Club. This led to further one-off engagements, in which they were sometimes joined by younger sibling Jack to appear as the Kalin Brothers. A brace of singles appeared for small labels: ‘Silver Seagull’ and ‘American Eagle’ both used the same backing track. They disappeared again until old support hand Cliff Richard invited them to play at his 30th Anniversary shows in 1989. Harold Kalin was killed in an automobile accident in August 2005. His brother suffered a fatal heart attack less than a year later.

(Info mainly from The Encyclopedia of Popular Music)


3 comments:

D said...

BB, may I get a repost of The Kalin Twins
thanks again,
- D

boppinbob said...

For “THE KALIN TWINS – WHEN (2014 Jasmine)” go here;

https://shareplace.org/?BEFB2CF24

1. JUMPIN' JACK
2. WALKIN' TO SCHOOL
3. WHEN
4. THREE O'CLOCK THRILL
5. FORGET ME NOT
6. DREAM OF ME
7. COOL
8. SCHOOL BELL DREAM
9. THE SPIDER AND THE FLY
10. YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME
11. TAG-A-LONG
12. CLICKETY CLACK
13. IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING
14. OH! MY GOODNESS
15. WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR
16. SWEET SUGAR LIPS
17. MOODY
18. I'M GONNA KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR
19. WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME
20. THE MEANING OF THE BLUES
21. LITTLE MISS BLUE
22. LONELINESS
23. CHICKEN THIEF
24. TRUE TO YOU
25. BLUE, BLUE TOWN
26. NO MONEY CAN BUY
27. ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART
28. MOMMA POPPA
29. BUBBLES
30. ONE MORE TIME
31. A PICTURE OF YOU
32. TROUBLE
33. IT'S JUST TERRIBLE

In the summer of 1958, Herb and Hal Kalin - aka The Kalin Twins - were flavour-of-the-month with the multi-million-selling, worldwide smash hit 'When'. It reached #5 in the US and topped the UK charts for 4 weeks, following which they toured the UK, topping the bill over a newly-emergent Cliff Richards & The Drifters (who were just breaking with 'Move It'). Although The Kalins subsequently made the US charts with follow-ups like 'Forget Me Not', 'It's Only The Beginning' and 'Sweet Sugar Lips', they were unable to consolidate and by the mid-60s they'd called it a day.

This 33 track compilation comprises their eponymously titled LP from 1958, plus all their significant 45 releases between 1957-1962, including their superb, yet often overlooked US cover of Joe Browns UK #1 'A Picture Of You'.
Several of these sides are serious collectors' rarities, unavailable elsewhere on CD. (Jasmine notes)

D said...

great & thanks again
- D