Born November 5, 1970, in Philadelphia, twin sisters Heather and Jennifer Kinley brought impeccable harmonies and an energetic country-swing style to their work, drawing inspiration from the sibling vocal blends of acts such as the Everly Brothers and the Judds. At nineteen the pair relocated to Nashville, where Heather took up guitar and Jennifer handled piano while the two honed their songwriting and stage craft. More than five years of persistent effort in the city’s club scene eventually paid off when they co-wrote “Just Between You and Me” with Russ & Debbie Zavitson; the track attracted major-label interest, and the Kinleys signed with Epic.
Producers Tony Haselden and Peter Greene, along with Russ Zavitson, guided sessions for the duo’s debut album, Just Between You and Me, issued in September 1997. Lead single “Please” climbed into the country Top Ten and crossed onto pop radio, while the title track that had launched their career reached the country Top 20. The album remained on the country charts for nearly a year and earned gold certification; meanwhile, album cuts “Dance in the Boat” and “You Make It Seem So Easy” registered modest chart entries. Recognition followed: the Academy of Country Music named the Kinleys Best New Duo, and they received Grammy, Country Music Association, and American Music Award nominations.
In fall 1998 the sisters contributed “Somebody’s out There Watching” to the million-selling Touched by an Angel television soundtrack; released commercially, the song again landed in the country Top 20 and crossed to pop. A one-off single, “My Heart Is Still Beating,” appeared briefly on the country chart in August 1999. For their sophomore project the Kinleys again collaborated with Russ Zavitson and Tony Haselden on half the material before enlisting Radney Foster to finish the record. Advance single “She Ain’t the Girl for You” entered the country charts in April 2000, and The Kinleys II arrived that July.
