The Twins aka The Twin-Tones (2)

The Twin-Tones (2) (Hicksville, Long Island)
aka The Twins
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

Personnel :

John Cunningham

James Cunningham

Discography : 

Singles :

The Twin Tones (2)
1958 - My Dear / The Flip Skip (Skip-Tip)  (RCA 7148)

The Twins
1958 - Jo Ann's Sister / Who Knows The Secret  (RCA 7235)
1958 - Gee Whiz / Classroom Rock (RCA 7382)
1959 - Heart Of Gold / Buttercup (Lancer 106)

Eps :

The Twin Tones (2) - Jim & John  (RCA 4107)
1957 - Jo-Ann / Before You Go / My Dancing Lady / One Mail A Day

The Twins (Jim And John) Teenagers Love The Twins
1958 - My Dear / The Flip Skip (Skip-Tip) / I Want A Girl / Together Forever

Lps :

The Twins Jim and John - Teenagers Love The Twins (RCA Victor LPM-1708)
1958 -  Jo-Ann / Who Knows The Secret / My Dear / Before You Go / After Dark / The Flip-Skip (Skip-Tip) / Bubble-ee Bubble-ee Bubble Gum / Jo-Ann's Sister / Give Me Your Picture / You Know You Love It

 Biography :

On 20 December 1957, Jim and John Cunningham, the Twin-Tones, appeared or the 100th broadcast of Dick Clark's American Bandstand, along with Jerry Lewis, who performed his only hit. "Rock-a Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody". The Twin-Tones sang 'Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now". Jim & John were not Patiente and Prudence in drag. They were two good looking blonde boys from Hicksville High School in Long Island, New York.

The boys recorded a cute rock-a-ballad called "Jo Ann" for RCA Victor, which was quickly covered by a group of three chubby comedians called the Playmates who turned the song into a hit for Roulette. RCA did not give up, however, releasing an LP, an EP and several singles, like "The Skip Flip" and "Jo-Ann's Sister" Unlike the  Midnighters, they failed to record  "Jo-Ann Had A Baby".

The reader should not attach any cosmic meaning to the following, but both the Twins' and the Playmates' album covers featured the acts on motor scooters. One may, however, deduce that the Twins' booking on the Alan Freed Holiday Show at the Paramount Theater may have had something to do with the fact that 'Jo-Ann's Sister' was published by Freed's Figure Music. 

The twins didn’t realize and profit for composing the song – nor did they make any money from their RCA Victor long play and such was the business back then.  John Grant Cunningham, born on September 22, 1940 in Flushing, New York, passed July 18, 2016 in Brockwell, Arkansas. His twin brother James William Cunningham died May 29, 2018 in Cullman, Alabama.

(There were in fact two different Twin Tones duets. The Twin Tones on Monte Carlo 005 were girls)

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
Jo- Ann                                         My Dear

  
The Flip Skip                           Before You Go

  
My Dancing Lady                           One Mail A Day

  
Jo Ann's Sister                           Classroom Rock

  
   Buttercup                                        Together Forever

  
     After Dark                             Give Me Your Picture

  
Bubble-ee Buble-ee Bubble Gum               Who Knows The Secret    

  
I Want A Girl                                      My Foolish Fling

  
This Feelings Bound To Love                          T.V. Hop                


Heart Of Gold

……