There is more than one artist with this name. 1) Johnny Thunder is the professional stage name of Gil Hamilton (born August 15, 1932).[1][2] He is an American R&B and pop singer, whose biggest hit was "Loop De Loop" in 1963. Gil Hamilton was born in Leesburg, Florida, and started singing in church and on street corners when in his teens. Aiming to start a singing career in the late 1950s, he moved to New York City, where he joined a touring version of The Drifters for a few months