The group formed in Brooklyn, New York in the late 1950s with Eugene Pitt, Jerome Hanna, Richard Harris, Thurmon Prophet, and Norman Johnson. The group found success in 1961 with “My True Story” on Beltone Records, which reached #3 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart. The group reorganized following the death of Hanna in 1962 with Pitt, Johnson, Hanna’s replacement Andre Coles, Casey Spencer, and Beatrice Best. They recorded “What Time is It” and “These Golden Rings” for Belltone, before switching to United Artists Records, where they had a hit with “I’m a Happy Man”. In 1970 the group moved to Decca Records and recorded as “The Jyve Fyve”, with Pitt, Spencer, Richard Fisher, and Richard Harris’s brother Webster. They had a minor hit with this name, “I Want You To Be My Baby”, on Decca. They also recorded briefly for Avco Records. They made a 1974 recording for Chess Records as “Shadow”, and a 1975 recording for Columbia Records as “Ebony, Ivory, and the Jades”. They changed back to “The Jive Five” in 1978. At this time the lineup was Pitt, Spencer, and the returning Beatrice Best and Richard Harris. The group reorganized in 1982, with Pitt, Best, Charles Mitchell, and Pitt’s brothers Herbert and Frank. In the late 1990s, the group was Pitt, Best, Harold Gill, Maurice Unthank, and Art Loria. Daniel Loria was later in for Best, who was in and out with health issues. In 1985, Eugene and The Jive Five were introduced to New York cable TV branding consultants Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman (and their company Fred/Alan, Inc.) by their latest producer, Ambient Sound’s Marty Pekar. Together with Fred/Alan producer Tom Pomposello they embarked on an almost ten-year relationship, creating and singing the acappella signature sound of the American kids’ television network Nickelodeon, one of the first popular “network” specialized cable television channels. They used the group to write and record some of the most memorable advertising jingles of their day with the catch phrase, “Nic-Nic-Nic”, performed in a doo wop style. They were part of the popular “Kid’s Choice” awards. The group performed on the PBS special Doo Wop 50. The lineup was Pitt, Spencer, Richard Harris, Best, and a fifth member. The group released a single in 2003 entitled It’s Christmas. It was credited to “Eugene Pitt and the Jive Five” and featured Pitt, Best, Gill, Unthank, and the Lorias. Norman Johnson died in 1970. Webster Harris died in 2003. Maurice Unthank died July 21, 2008. Artie Loria passed away October 23, 2010 from a tragic accident. Dan Loria still performs and produces and is active in the business in vriouis capacites. Currently (June 2010), the group consists of 72-year-old Eugene Pitt, first tenor Frank Pitt, second tenor Casey Spencer, baritone Beatrice Best, and bass Herbert Pitt. |
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