Died On This Date (July 5, 2011) Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell / Motown Hit Maker
themusicsover Alphonzo Mizell
January 15, 1943 – July 5, 2011
Alphonzo “Fonce” Mizell was an American record producer and songwriter who, as part of the Corporation production team at Motown, penned and produced virtually every Jackson 5 hit between 1969 and 1971. That list includes “ABC,” “I Want You Back,” and “The Love You Save.” Mizell was also an accomplished musician dating back to his childhood when he, his brother, Larry Mizell and a school friend performed and recorded demos as a doo-wop group, the Nikons. After high school, Mizell attended Howard University where he studied the trumpet under the great Donald Byrd. Around this time, the Mizell brothers founded their own record label, Hog Records where they produced and released just one record, the Moments’ “Baby, I Want You,” which has been known to go for as much as $2500 to collectors. Fonce eventually went to work for Berry Gordy at Motown where, besides the Jackson 5, he worked on hits by the likes of Edwin Starr and Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. Following his tenure at Motown, Fonce and his brother Larry formed their own production team, known affectionately as the Mizell Brothers, but professionally as Sky High Productions. They went on to produce several classic jazz albums for Blue Note which were recognized for their influence on jazz fusion and acid jazz. Albums of note included Byrd’s Black Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey’s Blacks And Blues. They also scored several disco-era hits including A Taste Of Honey’s “Boogie-Oogie-Oogie,” and L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad.” The Mizell Brothers’ influence continued to reach a new generation of fans well into the 2000s thanks to samples popping up in songs by the likes of Guru, A Tribe Called Quest and J Dilla. Alphonso Mizell was 68 when he passed away on July 5, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
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Jane Scott was, simply put, a rock critic’s rock critic. For 50 years, she covered nearly every major concert that came through Cleveland, Ohio for the city’s major daily, the Plain Dealer. Born in Cleveland, Scott graduated from the University of Michigan and served in the U.S. Navy before taking up a career in journalism. In March of 1952, just three days after Cleveland DJ, Alan Freed put on what has been called the world’s first rock concert, Scott was hired by the Plain Dealer to cover local society events. In 1958, she took over a column that was aimed at what now would be called “tweens,” and soon morphed it into one of the world’s first rock columns. Scott’s earliest major rock story came in 1964 when she covered the Beatles‘ first show at Cleveland’s Public Hall. She soon found herself covering the band’s tour through Europe. When the Fab Four returned to Cleveland in 1966, it was Scott who scored one of Paul McCartney’s first American interviews ever. By her retirement in 2002, Scott estimated that she had been to over 10,000 concerts, and along the way she earned the love, friendship and respect from everyone from Mick Jagger to Jim Morrison to David Bowie to Bob Dylan. So beloved by the rock community, it took her 80th birthday celebration in 1999 to reunite the Raspberries. And to help celebrate the occasion, Glenn Frey of the Eagles sent a note saying “Jane, you never met a band you didn’t like,” while 
Charlie Craig was a respected Nashville songwriter whose Grammy nominated catalog includes hits he penned for the likes of Dolly Parton, 
Ruth Roberts was a song and jingle writer who is best remembered for co-writing the catchy and iconic New York Mets anthem, “Meet The Mets.” Written in 1961, the tune was initially intended to encourage New Yorkers to welcome the new team to a city that was already home to the storied New York Yankees. The song however, became the team’s anthem and proudly lived on for the next 50 years. Roberts, who was also an excellent pianist, wrote numerous other hits as well. She began selling her songs while still in high school, often at the famous songwriting mecca, the Brill Building in New York City. Her hits included “The First Thing Ev’ry Morning,” recorded by 
Ron “Byrd” Foster was a respected Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rock drummer who made significant contributions to the sound of such bands as the Silencers, Iron City Rockers, and Red Hot & Blue. He also played and sang on a handful of