Twinn Connexion - Twinn Connexion (Reissue) (1968/2001)

Twinn Connexion was the moniker adopted by a pair of identical twins from Helena, MT -- James E. "Jay" Hopkins and his brother Jerry Hopkins. They had been singing together since grade school, and by the time they were in high school they already had their own TV show in the local Helena area. After performing statewide to much success, they eventually migrated to New York City where they were discovered singing in a Greenwich Village coffeehouse by a Decca Records exec. The twins were signed to the label and assigned to work with producer Jerry Keller (who had a hit of his own in 1959 with "Here Comes Summer"). Keller and longtime producing/writing associate Dave Blume wrote songs for the duo, which were recorded with backing from various members of the New York-based Carolyn Hester Coalition (sans Carolyn Hester). The twins appeared side by side on the cover of their self-titled album's release, wearing matching yellow and white textured Nehru suits, with green ascots and tiepins with the symbol "2x" (as this was 1968, it was perfectly acceptable to appear in public this way). The entire album -- a psychedelic soft pop treat with fantastic arrangements, and mildly experimental touches, like electric sitar and harpsichord -- is as good as anything similar from this same era. The song "Foolin' Around" appeared on The Melody Goes on Soft Rock, Vol. 3, issued by Chu Takahashi's Japanese-based M&M (MMCD 1024), but Twinn Connexion itself is, unfortunately, not currently available on CD. LP copies command extremely high prices from collectors. Jay Hopkins passed away on September 6, 2001, at age 60, in Manhattan, NY, of heart failure. From the early '70s to the time of his death, he worked as a metals trader for various companies including Prudential and Merrill Lynch, where he was a vice president. His brother Jerry Hopkins is still living in New York.