Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers creator John Pickles dies at 84 - BBC News BBC Homepage Skip to content Accessibility Help Your account Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds More menu More menu Search BBC Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu Home Climate World UK Business Tech Science Entertainment & Arts Health In Pictures More BBC Verify Newsbeat England Regions Sheffield & South Yorkshire Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers creator dies at 84 Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers scored three UK number ones Published 8 hours ago The man behind the novelty pop act Jive Bunny and The Mastermixers has died aged 84, the company he founded has confirmed. John Pickles formed Jive Bunny in Rotherham in 1989 and the act went on to have three UK number ones with Swing The Mood, That's What I Like and Let's Party. Jive Bunny records typically used synthesisers and sampling to combine contemporary pop music with hits from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. A statement from the Mastermix company described Pickles as "a true pioneer in the music industry", adding that he was "a leader, an entrepreneur, a businessman and an incredibly talented songwriter". His "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," the statement said. 'People's success story' Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers were made up of Pickles, his son Andrew, who also worked as a director for Mastermix, along with Doncaster DJ and producer Les Hemstock. 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. The Jive Bunny album covers and music videos featured a cartoon rabbit, with costumed actors also making promotional appearances as the character. Steve White, a DJ who knew Pickles personally, told BBC