The Peanuts (ザ・ピーナッツ, Za Pīnattsu) were a Japanese vocal duo comprising the twin sisters Emi (伊藤エミ, Itō Emi) and Yumi Itō (伊藤ユミ, Itō Yumi). They were born in Nagoya on April 1, 1941. Their voices were close in timbre, which resulted in their singing together sounding like a solo artist using double tracking or reverb.
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Early life
Emi and Yumi were born identical twins to Hideyo and Tsukiko Ito on Tuesday April 1, 1941 in the city of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture. Emi was older than her twin sister Yumi.
Career
While in high school, the twins performed at a Nagoya night club as the Ito Sisters, and were discovered by Watanabe Productions founder Shin Watanabe. They were brought to Tokyo in 1958, where they became the first clients for Watanabe Productions. In 1959, the Peanuts became a hit at the Nichigeki theater. That same year, they released their first recording, "Kawaii Hana" ("Cute Flower"). In their early years they sang Japanese covers of standards, foreign hits, and Japanese folk songs. Then they began singing originals, written by their producer, Hiroshi Miyagawa, and such songwriters as Koichi Sugiyama and Rei Nakanishi. They were the first to perform "Koi no Vacance".