Two giants of the R&B music scene in Jersey City passed away earlier this month. Edward “Sonny” Jessie Bivins, Jr. and Winfred “Blue” Lovett were founding members of the singing group The Manhattans, whose collections of hit songs include “Kiss And Say Goodbye,” which topped the R&B and pop charts in 1976, along with the top 10 R&B hits “I Kinda Miss You” and “Shining Star.” The two longtime Jersey City residents died six days apart – Bivins on Dec. 3 at age 78 in Basking Ridge and Lovett on Dec. 9 at age 74 in Arizona – leaving a lasting legacy in their community and the R&B landscape. The Manhattans were formed in the early 1960s when Lovett, Bivins, Richard Taylor, Kenny Kelley, George “Smitty” Smith joined together in Jersey City. Gerald Alston, the current lead singer who later joined the group in 1970, described Bivins as an energetic performer, a gifted song writer and an accomplished singer.
