Biography
-
Members
- Hal Kalin
- Herbie Kalin
The Kalin Twins (Harold Kalin and Herbert Kalin, February 16, 1934 - August 24, 2005 and July 21, 2006, respectively) were an American pop music recording and songwriting twin brothers duo, affectionately known as "Hal and Herbie". They remain the archetypal one-hit wonders. Their only chart hit was 1958's "When".
The twins were born in Port Jervis, New York. Originally discovered by Clint Ballard, Jr., the writer of many hit records such as "Good Timin'" for Jimmy Jones, and "I'm Alive" for The Hollies, the sibling duo had a couple of early recording flops. However, in 1958, after searching through piles of writers' demo tapes, their management discovered the song called "When", written by Paul Evans and Jack Reardon. It topped the UK Singles Chart, got to Number 5 in their U.S. homeland, and sold over two million copies in the process. The track remained in the UK listings for eighteen weeks, five of which were at Number One. They had no further UK chart entries.
The Kalin's were the first set of twins to reach number one in the UK as a duo, followed years later by The Proclaimers. They were supported by Cliff Richard on their only UK tour. Their second single, "Forget Me Not," reached Number 12 in the US Billboard chart later in 1958. After two further low-ranking entries in 1959, they never reached the charts again.
Eventually, disillusioned with diminishing returns, the brothers returned to their day jobs, with each pursuing college degrees. They did not perform again until 1977, when a mutual friend booked them to appear at his new nightclub. Sometimes they performed with their younger sibling, Jack, and thus appeared as the Kalin Brothers.
They disappeared again as a performing act, until 1989. Then, their one-time support act, Cliff Richard, invited them to play at his Wembley Stadium 'The Event' concerts, as part of a sequence paying homage to the 1950s television pop show, Oh Boy!
Herbert Kalin was married and had four children, Suzan Lynn, Kelly Lee, Buddy Ladd, and Jonathan Ray.
Harold "Hal" Kalin died on August 24, 2005, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident, aged 71.
Herbert "Herbie" Kalin died July 21, 2006 from a heart attack, aged 72.
Discography
"Jumpin' Jack"/"Walkin' To School" - (1957) Each charted in the US publication Music Vendor, Feb-March 1958.
"When" - (1958) - UK #1 - U.S. #5
"Three O'Clock Thrill" - (1958) - U.S. jukebox favorite
"Forget Me Not" - (1958) - U.S. #12
"Oh! My Goodness" - (1959)
"It's Only The Beginning" - (1959)
"When I Look In The Mirror" - (1959)
"Sweet Sugar Lips" - (1959)
"Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" - (1960)
"I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" - (1961)
"Sometimes It Comes, Sometimes It Goes" - (1966) - Amy Records
"Silver Seagull" - (1978)
"American Eagle" - (1979)
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