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The Kalin Twins (born February 16, 1934), also known as Hal and Herbie, were an American pop singing, songwriting and recording duo, formed in 1958 by twin brothers Harold Kalin and Herbert Kalin. The duo is best remembered for their number one 1958 hit " When".


Career

The twins were born in
Port Jervis, New York Port Jervis is a city located at the confluence of the Neversink and Delaware rivers in western Orange County, New York, United States, north of the Delaware Water Gap. Its population was 8,775 at the 2020 census. The communities of Deerpark, ...
, but the family later moved to
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
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 Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...
, 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 The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
on September 13, 1958, got to Number 5 in their
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
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 Kalins were the first set of twins to reach number one in the UK as a duo, followed years later by
The Proclaimers ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
. They were supported by
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
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.


Post-music career

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 Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
, invited them to play at his
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
'The Event' concerts, as part of a sequence paying homage to the 1950s television pop show, '' Oh Boy!''


Personal lives and deaths

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" b/w "Walkin' To School" — (1958) — each charted in the US publication Music Vendor, Feb-March 1958 — Decca Records *"Three O'Clock Thrill" b/w " When" — (1958) — U.S.
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...
favorite, Decca Records *" When" b/w "Three O'Clock Thrill" — (1958) —
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
#5 Decca Records — UK #1 Brunswick Records -
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#2 Decca Records *"Forget Me Not" b/w "Dream of Me" — (1958) — U.S. #12 — Decca Records - Canada #12 — Decca Records *"It's Only the Beginning" b/w "Oh! My Goodness" — (1959) — U.S. #42 *"When I Look in the Mirror" b/w "Cool" — (1959) *"Sweet Sugar Lips" b/w "Moody" — (1959) — U.S. #97 *"Why Don't You Believe Me" b/w "The Meaning of the Blues" — (1959) *"Chicken Thief" b/w "Loneliness" — (1960) *"Blue, Blue Town" b/w "True to You" — (1960) *"Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" b/w "No Money Can Buy" — (1960) *"Momma-Poppa" b/w "You Mean the World To Me" — (1961) *"Bubbles (I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles)" b/w "One More Time" — (1961) *"A Picture of You" b/w "Trouble" — (1962) *"Sometimes It Comes, Sometimes It Goes" b/w "Thinkin' About You Baby" — (1966) — Amy Records *"Silver Seagull" — (1978) *"American Eagle" b/w "When (Disco Version)" — (1979) — Octember Records


References


External links


"When" Lyrics Website
{{Authority control American country music groups Decca Records artists Twin musical duos American musical duos Singers from New York (state) People from Port Jervis, New York Singers from Washington, D.C. American twins 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Songwriters from New York (state) Male musical duos