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Eugene Sampson Pitt (November 6, 1937[citation needed] – June 29, 2018) was an American musician and the founding member of The Jive Five. He formed a group with some school friends in 1954 called the Genies, in which he was the lead singer. There were no recordings from this group.
In 1959, he, together with Jerome Hanna, Richard Harris, Norman Johnson, and Billy Prophet formed The Jive Five. Among their classic doo-wop recordings, released on Bel-tone Records, were "My True Story", "Never, Never", and "What Time Is It?".
In 1985, they sang doo wop on the children's cable television network Nickelodeon. Pitt and The Jive Five were introduced to New York-based MTV Networks (now Paramount Media Networks) branding consultants Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman by his latest producer, Ambient Sound's Marty Pekar.[1] Together, they embarked on an almost 10-year relationship, creating and singing the a cappella signature sound of the children's television network. Terry Stewart, President & CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, called Pitt "the most underrated soul singer in America".[2]
Eugene's cousin, Elijah Pitts, was an NFL running back and long-time assistant coach.[3]
On June 29, 2018, Pitt died at the age of 80 due to complications from diabetes.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Interview with Eugene Pitt". poprockdoowopp.com.
- ^ "The Doo-wopping of Television". fredalan.org.
- ^ "Musicguy247". Musicguy247.typepad.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ "Doo-Wop Singer Eugene Pitt Passes". Allaccess.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
External links
edit- "jivefive". Soulfulkindamusic.net. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- "Eugene Pitt and the Jive Five". Soulexpress.net. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- Eugene Pitt discography at Discogs
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