Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JIVE BEEN STIFFED
Bunny star says he made just £100 from multi-million sellers
A DJ and producer behind Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers has claimed he made just £100 from their multimillion-selling hits.
Les Hemstock, 50, created debut track Swing the Mood and played a key role in followups That’s What I Like and Let’s Party. The tunes gave the act three consecutive number ones in 1989. But Les claims label Music Factory took all the profit – and refused to tell him how many records were sold.
Les is now preparing to sue the Rotherham based firm, which is owned by father and son Andy and John Pickles. Les, of Doncaster, said he did not agree a contract with his friends but John promised him a “very large slice of the cake”.
Yet he insists he only got £100.
He said of the Jive Bunny album: “It made a lot of money, that was a million-selling record at least. I’ve DJ’D all my life and I have done OK but certainly not as lucrative as you might expect. I shop in Morrisons and Tesco.”
Les created Swing the Mood, a mash-up of old songs, before re-creating the mix later in a studio for the Music Factory.
Jive Bunny used the same formula for later hits, including That’s What I Like, which samples Chubby Checker. Les is credited as original concept creator and producer on all mixes. Other members include Andy, John and Ian Morgan.
The act’s public persona was a cartoon, or a person wearing a rabbit’s head for promotional appearances and gigs.
Music Factory said: “We don’t have any comment, thanks.”