Ben Folds Five Folds

ByABC News
November 3, 2000, 1:59 PM

November 1 -- After six years and three albums, the piano-based trio Ben Folds Five has decided to call it a day.

"The band is splitting on good terms," frontman Ben Folds said in a statement. "We are very proud of our three albums, our little hit, and our audience. Now it is time to bow out with dignity rather than to make that final 'cash-in' record and tour, which, of course, is very tempting."

Ben Folds Five formed in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1994 and released its self-titled debut a year later. In 1997, its sophomore album, Whatever and Ever Amen, produced the hit single "Brick," which pushed the band into mainstream consciousness and helped the album earn platinum status. A collection of rarities and B-sides, Naked Baby Photos, and a third studio album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, released in 1999, didn't fare particularly well commercially.

The band last appeared on the Me, Myself, & Irene soundtrack, covering Steely Dan's "Barrytown." Folds, who recently guested on Rickie Lee Jones' new album, It's Like This, currently lives in Australia with his wife and a pair of 1-year-old twins. He has recorded, as a solo artist, "Lonely Christmas Eve," which will appear on the soundtrack to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, due in record stores Nov. 7. He has also recorded a track for the forthcoming 100 Girls soundtrack and is currently recording a solo album, tentatively slated for a release in the spring.