David Z, Producer Who Helped Craft Prince’s Early Music, Dead at 78

David “Z” Rivkin, a Grammy-winning producer and one of the architects of the “Minneapolis Sound,” has died at the age of 78. Throughout his prolific career, Rivkin famously worked with Prince during his early years, helped create Lipps Inc.’s hit “Funkytown,” and worked with a number of artists including Etta James, the Jets, Fine Young Cannibals, and more.

His brother Bobby Z, drummer for Prince and the Revolution, confirmed his death to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The publication stated that Rivkin died Sunday at a hospital in Burbank, California, due to complications from an infection.

“David was the secret ingredient on many, many musical projects,” Owen Husney, a bandmate of Rivkin’s in local groups during the Sixties and Prince’s first manager, said. “He stayed pretty silent about it. He never really talked about his work or what he did. His significance is undeniable on the Minneapolis music scene.”

Husney recalled introducing an 18-year-old Prince to Rivkin in 1976 at Sound 80 studios. As Rivkin listened to Prince’s demo tape, the producer hummed a horn line alongside the music. At one point, Husney said, “Prince turned to me and said: ‘Let’s go. Let’s get out of here.’ I was embarrassed. I told David, ‘I’m sorry.’ I got in the car and said, ‘What happened?’ Prince said: ‘David is the only one I want working with me.’”

After Rivkin worked with Prince on the demo, the legendary singer signed a contract with Warner Bros. and would work with the producer on multiple other projects. Rivkin also garnered two Grammys for producing Etta James and earned a Grammy nod for record of the year for producing Fine Young Cannibals’ 1988 song “She Drives Me Crazy.” Rivkin contributed to Lipps Inc.’s disco classic, “Funkytown.”

When discussing the Minneapolis Sound with the Star Tribune in the mid-Eighties, Rivkin called it “the sound of ignorance.” He continued, “It’s (a sound) made up in an isolated atmosphere. We don’t steal from someone in L.A. or New York. From the songs to the licks to the engineering techniques to the cheap mics we use, we’re so different from everyone else.”