The question keeps coming up... "What was it about Dayton that spawned so many musicians, and entertainers. To this day it goes on with youngsters like model, and TV host, Tocarra Jones, musician, Van Hunt, comedians  Maceo Clark, actor, Dejuan Guy, producers, Ronald Nooks III, and Tyreece Jones still cranking out the hits, and appearing on the silver screens.
   Who can forget a legend like Roy Meriwether. A kid growing up in Dayton View, could on a Thursday afternoon, sit in an alley off Lexington Ave, and watch the group that brought Dayton to the table - the Ohio Players, rehearsing for their week-end gig. We could stand outside the club on Riverview, and listen to Cannonball Addrely put it down. During the summer, we could go to Island Park and watch Zapp (then known as The Human Body) in concert for free. so it's not hard to imagine why so many young Daytonians in the 70's were motivated to become musicians - but that does not explain what it was that made so many of them good at it. Even though many of the hoards of Dayton bands never made it big - those who lived there can attest to the high caliber of entertainment that was experienced on any given Friday night - at a talent show, or Battle of The Bands, at any one of the local high schools. So what contributed to the technical skills that brought the talent forward? I have a theory.
   Mr. Spencer was the music and choir teacher at Roosevelt High School. His counterpart, the band director, was Mr. Sutton The professional musicians and vocalists that poured through the halls of of these music programs goes without saying. We learned sight reading and music theory. Even those Dayton groups that originated at a different school, and did not study under the Roosevelt Music program usually had at least one person in the band or group that did. Note I said "We". My band was from Colonel White - where we studied under Ms. Carrol (who was an excellent teacher as well), but she did not show up until our Junior year. When we were in our freshman/sophomore years, Mr. Spencer was so good at his craft, that Brian Mullberry and Tony Joe White (The Nomads/Lakeside) introduced us to him, and we paid him to tutor us in music theory and harmony, after school.
   If somebody would do one of these 6 Degrees of Separation deals (ala Kevin Bacon) you would certainly find Mr. Sutton's and Mr. Spencer's fingerprints on every band out of Dayton.
     Hats off to Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sutton who probably engineered the Dayton Sound from the ground up.