Doncaster businessman behind chart toppers Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers, John Pickles, dies aged 84
“John was a leader, an entrepreneur, a businessman, and an incredibly talented songwriter”
A Doncaster musician and ‘pioneer’ behind novelty pop act Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers has died aged 84.
John Pickles formed the act in Rotherham in 1989 and went on to score three UK number one singles with Swing The Mood, That’s What I Like and Let’s Party.
His DJing company, Mastermix, said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John Pickles, founder and creator of The Music Factory Entertainment Group, Mastermix and Jive Bunny.
“John was a leader, an entrepreneur, a businessman, and an incredibly talented songwriter.
“He was a true pioneer in the music industry, whose creativity, vision and passion for music touched the lives and careers of so many people around the world, and for the most fortunate of us, he was dad.”
Mr Pickles, whose family ran an electrical shop on the Great North Road in Woodlands, also recruited his son Andrew and Doncaster DJ and producer Les Hemstock to create Jive Bunny, whose records combined previous hits with modern sampling and electronics.
Their records typically used synthesisers and sampling to combine contemporary pop music with music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
It all kicked off with Swing The Mood in the summer of 1989.
With liberal use of Glenn Miller's In the Mood, the song, which sampled Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chubby Checker, topped the UK charts for five weeks – and also became a huge hit in a string of other countries – and Jive Bunny mania began.
The group also had a UK top 10 album in Jive Bunny The Album and scored five UK top 10 hits including their number ones.
Their album covers and music videos featured a cartoon rabbit, with costumed actors also making promotional appearances as the character.
In December 2024, Mastermix released a new Jive Bunny production called 3, 6, 9, which it said was “celebrating the origins of Jive Bunny while adding a modern twist”.