We Five - Songs

ABOUT

We Five were a short-lived but highly acclaimed male-female folk rock quintet based in San Francisco, California that became famous during the mid 1960s. They are best known for their up-tempo remake of Ian & Sylvia's "You Were On My Mind" (1965). The group's distinctive sound was due in large part to Beverly Bivens clear, operatic lead vocals backed with rich, close-knit group harmonies.

We Five were formed in 1964 by Mike Stewart (April 19, 1945 - November 13, 2002) who played guitar and banjo, provided backing vocals, and arranged most of the group's music. The original members also consisted of Jerry Burgan (guitars, vocals), Pete Fullerton (guitars, vocals), guitarist/singer Bob Jones (ca. 1947 - July 24, 2013), and lead singer Beverly Bivens. In 1965, they signed with A&M Records and released their debut album, "You Were On My Mind."

We Five made their national debut in 1965 with "You Were On My Mind," which topped the Adult Contemporary chart and made the Pop/Rock Top 5. This Grammy-nominated smash, which later also became a hit for Crispian St. Peters, was followed soon after by "Let's Get Together" (1965), a Top 40 hit later made famous by The Youngbloods (retitled as "Get Together"). We Five later also had minor hits with "You Let A Love Burn Out" (1966), "There Stands The Door" (1966), their rendition of the Ewan MacColl-penned "The First Time" (1966) which later topped the charts for Roberta Flack (as "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"), and their sung version of "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" (1965) which was previously a top instrumental hit for both Sounds Orchestral and the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Other songs for which We Five became well known include their cover of "Softly, As I Leave You" (from the album, "You Were On My Mind").

By 1967, after the release of the group's second album, "Make Someone Happy," Beverly Bivens had left We Five and was replaced by Debbie Graf Burgan, the wife of Jerry Burgan. In 1970, Mike Stewart, Bob Jones, and Pete Fullerton all left the group, and since then, We Five continued on and off over the years in various incarnations to the present day, with Jerry Burgan as the only remaining original member. Stewart became a record producer for such artists as Billy Joel and Tom Jones and later a computer programmer, making occasional appearances during We Five reunions from 1978-1989.

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SONGS

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We Five

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