Alphonzo Mizell

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Alphonso "Fonce" Mizell is an African American musician, songwriter, and record producer. Mizell started out as a member of The Corporation™, the hitmaking production team that wrote and produced all The Jackson 5's essential early hits, including "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", "Mama's Pearl", and "Maybe Tomorrow". When Motown moved to Los Angeles, Mizell and his brother Larry joined with trumpet player Donald Byrd and released the album Black Byrd on the Blue Note label. Black Byrd was the first of a string of albums that would define fusion jazz and lay the foundation for acid jazz and neo soul.

During the seventies the Mizell Brothers wrote and produced albums by Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey, Johnny Hammond Smith, Gary Bartz, LTD ("Love Ballad"), Rance Allen and Roger Glenn. Most albums featured the same musicians, including Harvey Mason, Sr. on drums, Chuck Rainey or James Jamerson on bass, Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Ragin on guitar, Jerry Peters on piano and Stephanie Spruill on percussion. At the end of the seventies, the Mizell Brothers discovered A Taste of Honey and produced their first two albums, including the hit single "Boogie Oogie Oogie".

In the 1980s, the Mizell brothers retired from the record industry.

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