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David Rivkin was a musician, engineer and producer who worked behind the scenes on some of the most influential American music of the past sixty years. He is best known for helping shape Prince's early sound and for his role in developing what became known as the Minneapolis Sound, a distinctive style of funk-influenced pop that grew out of that city's music scene from the 1970s onwards. Despite this influence, Rivkin was not a household name, working mostly as a collaborator and behind-the-mixing-desk figure rather than a performer in the spotlight.

His career stretched from regional success in the 1960s to decades of production and songwriting work afterwards, including two Grammy Awards for his work with blues and soul singer Etta James and a further nomination for co-producing the 1988 pop hit 'She Drives Me Crazy' by Fine Young Cannibals. Along the way he worked with a wide range of artists, from country-rock musician Gram Parsons to blues guitarist Buddy Guy and singer Jody Watley.

He died at 78 following complications from an infection. His death is being marked as the loss of a quietly influential figure whose studio work helped define both Prince's sound and Minneapolis's wider reputation as a music hub.