The Jive Five
Best known for the number one R&B hit "My True Story," the Jive Five were one of the few vocal groups to survive the transition from the '50s to the '60s. In the process, they helped move the music itself forward, providing a key link between doo wop and '60s soul.
Formed in Brooklyn, New York, the group originally consisted of Eugene Pitt (lead), Jerome Hanna (tenor), Richard Harris (tenor), Billy Prophet (baritone), and Norman Johnson (bass). The Jive Five's first hit, "My True Story," was their biggest, peaking at number one on the R&B charts and number three on the pop charts in the summer of 1961. None of the band's subsequent singles -- including 1962's minor R&B hit "These Golden Rings" -- were as popular, but the group managed to keep performing and recording. Under the direction of Eugene Pitt and Norman Johnson, the Jive Five refashioned themselves as a soul band in 1964, forming a new lineup with Casey Spencer (tenor), Webster Harris (tenor), and Beatrice Best (baritone). This new incarnation of the band signed to United Artists Records. The group only had one hit on UA, 1965's "I'm a Happy Man."
In 1966, the Jive Five left United Artists and signed with Musicor, where they had the 1968 R&B hit "Sugar (Don't Take Away My Candy)." They changed labels again in 1970, signing with Decca. That same year, they changed their name to the Jyve Fyve, in order to appear more contemporary. The Jyve Fyve had only one minor R&B hit, 1970's "I Want You to Be My Baby."
The group continued to perform and record for a variety of small labels during the '70s, but never had another hit. Throughout the '70s and '80s, the only constant member was Eugene Pitt. In 1975, Pitt changed the name of the group to Ebony, Ivory & Jade, but this new incarnation failed to gain much attention. In 1982 Pitt changed the name of the group back to the Jive Five and the band recorded two albums for the indie label Ambient Sound. Across the following decades the Jive Five were regulars on the oldies circuit, and in 2003 they issued a CD single (under the moniker Eugene Pitt & the Jive Five) entitled "It's Christmas" on Doesn't Matter Music. Eugene Pitt died in June 2018 at the age of 80.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
My True Story (Digital 45) - Single (Stereo Version)
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 4 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Golden Oldies
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 mrt. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collectors Gold Series
Pop - Released by Trigger Records on 31 jan. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
What Time Is It? (Digital 45) - Single
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 4 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Presenting the Jive Five
Blues - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 24 dec. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My True Story
Pop - Released by JB Production CH on 16 mrt. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
True Stories (152)
Rock - Released by Excess Music on 9 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The United Artists Recordings
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Putlabel on 27 sep. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What Time Is It?
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 4 dec. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My True Story (Stereo Version)
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 4 dec. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Nutmegs Meet the Jive Five Doo Wop, Vol. 2
Pop - Released by Classic Records on 24 jul. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Nutmegs Meet the Jive Five Doo Wop, Vol. 1
Pop - Released by Classic Records on 21 jul. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cleftones Meet the Jive Five Doo Wop, Vol.1
Pop - Released by Classic Records on 26 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cleftones Meet the Jive Five Doo Wop, Vol.2
Pop - Released by Classic Records on 29 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My True Story
Pop - Released by JB Production CH on 16 mrt. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo