Jane Scott (May 3, 1919 – July 4, 2011)[1] was an influential rock critic for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio.

[3] After leaving the Navy, she took some additional classes at the Wilcox College of Communication in Cleveland to learn typing and shorthand.

As such, she was not a member of The Plain Dealer staff, but she reported on events in the Cleveland suburbs of Chagrin Falls, Russell, Bentleyville and Pepper Pike.

[5] Three days later, on March 24, 1952, at age 33, Scott was hired as an assistant society reporter at The Plain Dealer, covering the local social scene of A-List weddings and Debutante Balls.

Aimed at seven- and eight-year-olds, it was the beginning of the present day rock coverage in The Plain Dealer.

In the 1960s, in preparation for her eventual work as The Plain Dealer's Rock Editor, she spent every Saturday night for six straight years at the WEWS television station for the tapings of the "Upbeat" show.

Lou Reed said she was one of the only people to treat him with respect in his early years as a performer; Lyle Lovett called her a "true friend"; she herself often told the story of accompanying Jimi Hendrix to buy a blue Corvette.

[11] In 1987, The Plain Dealer attempted to replace Scott but was met with strong public outcry and backlash, including feature stories in People Magazine,[12] MTV News and The Wall Street Journal,[13] resulting in the newspaper's editors backing down from their plans.

He stood like a pirate, with a cap over his eye and a ring in his left ear, pulling us all into fascinating stories of his youth.

Besides music, Scott's hobbies included handwriting analysis and being an avid deltiologist, with a collection primarily of Cleveland landmarks, and she was a member of the Western Reserve Post Card Society.

[18] Scott also was a chirologist, once causing the Who to be late going on stage for a Cleveland concert because she was reading their palms backstage.

[citation needed] On August 28, 2011, a memorial service was held for Jane Scott at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which was attended by over 900 people, and included speakers from local Cleveland music industry, family and friends.