Departures of note

John Pickles was a British music industry entrepreneur and the creator of the novelty pop act Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers. He founded The Music Factory Entertainment Group and its Mastermix DJ service in Rotherham, and in 1989 launched the Jive Bunny project, which combined sampling and synthesisers to merge contemporary pop with songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The act achieved three UK number-one singles with Swing The Mood, That's What I Like and Let's Party, becoming only the third act to top the chart with their first three releases. Jive Bunny also scored a UK top-ten album and five UK top-ten hits, with Swing The Mood reaching number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Pickles worked alongside his son Andrew, who served as a director of Mastermix, and Doncaster DJ and producer Les Hemstock. He was remembered by his company as a leader, entrepreneur, businessman and songwriter, and a true pioneer in the music industry whose work touched the lives and careers of many people around the world.