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Record producer (music producer)

A Danish recording session
Occupation
Names	Record Producer
Activity sectors	Music Industry Music
Description
Competencies	Instrumental Skills, Keyboard Knowledge

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording (i.e. "production") of an artist's music. A producer has many roles that may include, but are not limited to, gathering ideas for the project, selecting songs and/or musicians, coaching the artist and musicians in the studio, controlling the recording sessions, and supervising the entire process through mixing and mastering. Producers also often take on a wider entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, and negotiations.

Today, the recording industry has two kinds of producers: executive producer and music producer; they have different roles. While an executive producer oversees a project's finances, a music producer oversees the creation of the music.

A music producer can, in some cases, be compared to a film director, with noted practitioner Phil Ek himself describing his role as "the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, like a director would a movie. The engineer would be more the cameraman of the movie."^[1] The music producer's job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music. The scope of responsibility may be one or two songs or an artist's entire album – in which case the producer will typically develop an overall vision for the album and how the various songs may interrelate.

In the US, before the rise of the record producer, someone from A&R would oversee the recording session(s), assuming responsibility for creative decisions relating to the recording.

With today's relatively easy access to technology, an alternative to the record producer just mentioned, is the so called 'bedroom producer'. With today's technological advances, it is very easy for a producer to achieve high quality tracks without the use of a single instrument; that happens in urban music (like hip hop, rap, etc). Many established artists take this approach.

In most cases the music producer is also a competent arranger, composer, musician or songwriter who can bring fresh ideas to a project. As well as making any songwriting and arrangement adjustments, the producer is also in charge of the creative mix. He or she will liaise with the sound engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording, whereas the music producer keeps an eye on the overall project's marketability.

History[link]

Early record producers[link]

During the 1890s, Fred Gaisberg ran the first recording studio and provided the closest approximation of production by guiding an opera singer closer or further away from a gramophone's horn to match the dynamics in the score. (Citation: Gronow and Saunio 1998, p. 8; Moorefield 2005, p. 1).

However in the first part of the 20th century the record producer's role was similar to the role of a film producer in that the record producer organized and supervised recording sessions, paid technicians, musicians and arrangers, and sometimes chose material for the artist. In the mid-1950s a new category emerged, that of the independent record producer. Among the most famous early independent producers are the famed songwriting-production duo Leiber & Stoller, "Wall of Sound" creator Phil Spector and British studio pioneer Joe Meek.

Magnetic tape enabled the establishment of independent recording studios in major recording centres such as London, Los Angeles and New York. Unlike the old record company studios, which were effectively a "closed shop", these new studios could be hired by the hour by anyone who could afford to do so.

The biggest and best commercial studios were typically established and operated by leading recording engineers. They were carefully constructed to create optimum recording conditions, and were equipped with the latest and best recording equipment and top-quality microphones, as well as electronic amplification gear and musical instruments.

Top-line studios such as Olympic Studios in London, Fine Recording in New York City, United Western Recorders, and Musart in Los Angeles quickly became among the most sought-after recording facilities in the world, and both these studios became veritable "hit factories" that produced many of the most successful pop recordings of the latter 20th century.

Evolution of the role of the producer[link]

Prior to the 1950s, the various stages of the recording and marketing process had been carried out by different professionals within the industry – A&R managers found potential new artists and signed them to their labels; professional songwriters created new material; publishing agents sold these songs to the A&R people; staff engineers carried out the task of making the recordings in company-owned studios.

Freed from this traditional system by the advent of independent commercial studios, the new generation of entrepreneurial producers – many of whom were former record company employees themselves – were able to create and occupy a new stratum in the industry, taking on a more direct and complex role in the musical process. This development in music was mirrored in the TV industry by the concurrent development of videotape recording and the consequent emergence of independent TV production companies like Desilu.

The new generation of independent producers began forming their own record production companies, and in many cases they also established their own recording labels, signing deals that enabled the recordings they produced to be manufactured and distributed by a major record company. This usually took the form of a lease deal, in which the production company leased the usage rights to the original recording to a major label, who would press, distribute and promote the recording as their own, in return for a percentage of any profit; the ownership of the master recordings typically reverted to the producer after the deal expired.

Producers would now typically carry out most or all of the various production tasks themselves, including selecting and arranging songs, overseeing sessions (and sometimes also engineering the recordings) and even writing the material^[2], although it became a common practice for producers to claim a writing credit even if they did not actually contribute to the song.

Independent music production companies rapidly gained a significant foothold in popular music and soon became the main intermediary between artist and record label, discovering and signing new artists to production contracts, producing the recordings and then licensing the finished product to record labels for pressing, promotion and sale. (This was a novel innovation in the popular music field, although a broadly similar system had long been in place in many countries for the production of content for broadcast radio.) The classic example of this transition is renowned British producer George Martin, who worked as a staff producer and A&R manager at EMI for many years, before branching out on his own and becoming a highly successful independent producer with his AIR (Associated Independent Recordings) production company and studios.

As a result of these changes, record producers began to exert a strong influence, not only on individual careers, but on the course of popular music. A key example of this is Phil Spector, who defined the gap between early rock and roll and the Beatles (1959–1964). Although many of Spector's s productions were credited to acts such as The Ronettes, The Crystals, the Righteous Brothers, the Paris Sisters and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, in reality they were created using a crack team of top-rank Los Angeles session players (now known as "The Wrecking Crew") and often featured an interchangeable lineup of lead singers, including Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love. The prime example of Spector's modus operandi is the record widely regarded as his masterpiece, "River Deep, Mountain High". It is credited to "Ike & Tina Turner", but it is now well-known that Ike Turner was paid $20,000 to stay away from the sessions; the backing track was in fact performed by the Wrecking Crew, and the backing vocals were provided by a chorus of 21 singers, comprised of Ikettes Janice Singleton and Diane Rutherford and most of the female singers on Spector's roster, including Ronnie Spector, Darlene Love and Cher. Spector's Wall of Sound production technique also persisted after that time with his select recordings of the Beatles, the Ramones, Leonard Cohen, George Harrison, Dion and Ike and Tina Turner.

Some producers also became de facto recording artists, creating records themselves or with anonymous studio musicians and releasing them under a pseudonym. In the USA, some of the earliest examples in popular music were the novelty records released under the name Alvin & The Chipmunks, which became hits in many countries in the mid-1950s. These records, written, performed and produced by entertainer David Seville, relied on the simple gimmick of recording an instrumental track, then overdubbing the vocals while the the tape ran at half-speed. When played back at regular speed, the music would sound normal, and the voices would remain synchronised with the music, but the pitch and timbre of the voices would be dramatically shifted up, creating the instantly recognisable, chirpy "helium" effect. In the UK in the early 60s, Joe Meek was the first British pop producer to make records with studio-created groups, and he had major hits with singles like "Telstar" and Heinz's "Just Like Eddy".

Other examples of this phenomenon include the records by fictional groups the Archies and Josie & the Pussycats, produced by Don Kirshner and Danny Jansen respectively, who were contracted by TV production companies to produce these records to promote the animated children's TV series of the same name. Similarly, Jeff Barry and Andy Kim recorded as the Archies. The same producer-as-artist phenomenon can be found with many modern-day pop-oriented street- and electronic-music artists. In later years this became a prominent and often successful sideline for major producers, as evidenced by the string of albums by the studio group The Alan Parsons Project (created by former EMI/Abbey Road staff engineer Alan Parsons) and the successful musical adaptation of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, devised and produced by former David Essex producer Jeff Wayne.

Another change that occurred for the role of producers occurred progressively over the 50’s and 60’s. The development of multitrack recording and new technology such as electric guitars, amplifiers, and better microphones led to a fundamental change in the way recordings were made. The goal of recording no longer was simply accurately capturing and documenting live performance. Instead producers could manipulate sounds to an unprecedented degree and producers like Spector and Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio and were no longer reserved to the role of functional engineer. Examples of such engineers includes George Martin, Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and Biddu. These producers became known as creative producers who turned the studio into a creative space.

Another notable related phenomenon in the 1960s was the emergence of the performer-producer. As pop acts like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Kinks rapidly gained expertise in studio recording techniques, the leaders of many of these groups eventually took over as producers of their own work. In some cases this was not credited at the time - many recordings by acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Small Faces, Donovan, The Kinks and The Who are credited to their various producers of the time, Andrew Loog Oldham. Mickie Most or Shel Talmy, but many of these performers have since asserted that many of their recordings in this period were (in practial terms) either self-produced - e.g. The Rolling Stones' Decca recordings - or were collaborations between the group and their recording engineer - e.g. The Small Faces' Immediate recordings, which were made with Olympic Studios engineer Glyn Johns.

Similarly, although The Beatles' productions were credited to George Martin throughout their recording career, many sources now attest that Lennon and McCartney in particular had an increasing influence on the production process as the group's career progressed,and especially after the band retired from touring in 1966. The Beach Boys are probably the best example of this trend - within two years of the band's commercial breakthrough, group leader Brian Wilson had taken over from his father Murry, and he was sole producer of all their recordings between 1963 and 1967. Alongside The Beatles and Martin, Wilson also pioneereed many production innovations - by 1964 he had developed Spector's techniques to a new level of sophistication, using multiple studios and multiple "takes" of instrumental and vocal components to capture the best possible combinations of sound and performance, and then using tape editing extensively to assemble a perfect composite performance from these elements.

Equipment and technology[link]

Mixing Console

There are numerous different technologies utilized by the producer. In modern day recordings, recording and mixing tasks are centralized within computers. However, there is also the main mixer, outboard effects gear, MIDI controllers, and the recording device itself.

See also[link]

• Music executive
• Musician
• Audio engineering

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Gibson, David and Maestro Curtis. "The Art of Producing". 1st. Ed. USA. ArtistPro Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-931140-44-8
• Burgess, Richard James. The Art of Music Production. 3rd Ed. UK. Music Sales, 2005. ISBN 1-84449-432-4
• Hewitt, Michael. Music Theory for Computer Musicians. 1st Ed. USA. Cengage Learning, 2008. ISBN 139781598635034
• Gronow, Pekka and Ilpo Saunio (1998). An International History of the Recording Industry. ISBN-X. Cited in Moorefield (2005).
• Moorefield, Virgil (2005). The Producer as Composer: Shaping the Sounds of Popular Music. ISBN. 123
• Olsen, Eric et al. (1999). The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. ISBN 0-8230-7607-5, ISBN 978-0-8230-7607-9
• Zak, Albin. The Poetics of Rock: Cutting Tracks, Making Records. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
• List of the Producers of the Current Top 100 Songs, Top 100 – Album Credits

External links[link]

• Record Producer Video Interviews
• Music Producers Directory

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This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (October 2011)

Harvey Mason in Singapore, 2004

Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947 in Atlantic City, New Jersey) is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz. He is featured on George Benson's 1976 album, Breezin'. Harvey is also the Percussionist for the Contemporary Jazz group Fourplay, which includes keyboardist Bob James, Guitarist Chuck Loeb Bassist Nathan East.

Mason's son, Harvey Mason, Jr., is one-half of the production team The Underdogs with Damon Thomas. The Underdogs have produced tracks for artists including Fantasia Barrino, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross. Harvey Sr.'s work is featured on one of the The Underdogs' major works, the soundtrack of the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls.

In 1979 Mason Sr, released the hit single "Groovin' You", a disco-stomping tune, from the album with the same name. This music was then, sampled by House producer Gusto, in his 1995 hit-single "Disco's Revenge".

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

This section requires expansion.

As sideman[link]

This section requires expansion.

With Fourplay:

With Herb Alpert

• Midnight Sun (A & M, 1992)

With Chet Atkins

• Street Dreams (Columbia, 1986)

With Beck

• The Information (Interscope, 2006)

With George Benson

• Breezin' (Warner Bros., 1976)
• Weekend in L.A. (Warner Bros., 1978)

With Donald Byrd

• Street Lady (Blue Note, 1973)
• Stepping into Tomorrow (Blue Note, 1974)
• Places and Spaces (Blue Note, 1975)
• Caricatures (Blue Note, 1976)

With Casiopea

• 4x4 (Alpha, 1982)
• Light and Shadows (Pony Canyon, 1997)

With Chick Corea

• The Mad Hatter (Polydor, 1978)

With Miles Davis & Michel Legrand

• Dingo (Warner Bros., 1991)

Wit Joe Farrell

• Night Dancing (Warner Bros., 1978)

With The Headhunters

• Survival of the Fittest (Arista, 1975)

With Herbie Hancock

• Head Hunters (Columbia, 1973)
• Man-Child (Columbia, 1975)
• Mr. Hands (Columbia, 1978)

With Gene Harris

• In a Special Way (Blue Note, 1976)
• Tone Tantrum (Blue Note, 1977)

With Eddie Henderson

• Sunburst (Blue Note, 1975)

With Freddie Hubbard

• High Energy (Columbia, 1974)

With Bobbi Humphrey

• Blacks and Blues (Blue Note, 1973)
• Satin Doll (Blue Note, 1974)
• Fancy Dancer (Blue Note, 1975)

With Bobby Hutcherson

• Montara (Blue Note, 1975)

With Yosui Inoue

• Nishoku no Koma (Polydor, 1974)

With Ahmad Jamal

• Genetic Walk (20th Century, 1975)

With Carole King

• Rhymes and Reasons (Ode, 1972)
• Fantasy (Epic, 1973)

With Hubert Laws

• The San Francisco Concert (CTI, 1975)

With Kenny Loggins

• Celebrate Me Home (Columbia, 1977)

With Wade Marcus

• Metamorphosis (ABC, 1976)

With Joe Pass

• Whitestone (Pablo, 1985)

With Lee Ritenour

• Gentle Thoughts (JVC, 1977)
• Captain Fingers (Epic, 1977)
• Sugar Loaf Express (JVC, 1977)
• Earth Run (GRP, 1986)

With Rufus

• Numbers (ABC, 1979)

With Patrice Rushen

• Now (Elektra, 1984)

With Véronique Sanson

• Le Maudit (Warner Bros., 1974)

With Moacir Santos

• Saudade (Blue Note, 1974)
• Carnival of the Spirits (Blue Note, 1975)

With Diane Schuur

• Midnight (Concord, 2003)

With Marlena Shaw

• Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? (Blue Note, 1974)

With Donna Summer

• Donna Summer (Geffen, 1982)

With Gábor Szabó

• Macho (Salvation, 1975)

With Stanley Turrentine

• Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Fantasy, 1975)
• Wonderland (Blue Note, 1984)

With Kazumi Watanabe

• Mermaid Boulevard (Alfa, 1978)

With Grover Washington, Jr.

• A Secret Place (Kudu, 1976)

With Jimmy Webb

• El Mirage (Atlantic, 1977)

With Gary Wright

• Headin' Home (Warner Bros., 1979)

External links[link]

• Official site

Thom Russo
Thom Russo Thom Russo
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Russo
Born	(1969-12-31) December 31, 1969 (age 42)
Origin	Los Angeles, USA
Genres	Pop/rock, Latin, Alternative Latin
Occupations	Recording engineer, mixing engineer
Years active	1991 - present
Labels	SONORO Productions, Inc.
Website	http://www.thomrusso.net

Thom Russo is an American record producer, engineer, mixer and songwriter.^[1] His works range from Anglo-American pop/rock to Alternative Latin.^[1] He is a recipient of 13 Grammy awards, most of them in recognition to his work with Latin music.^[2]

Life and education[link]

Thom Russo was born December 31, 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio.^[3][4] He studied percussion and music theory at Northwestern University, in Chicago.^[2] He lives and works in Los Angeles.^[5]

Career[link]

Russo started his professional career as a musician^[2][5] but became already as a college student interested in engineering and recording for record production.^[2] He worked first at River North Studios in Chicago, then at Larrabee Sound, one of the largest recording studios in Los Angeles, and later on his own under the Nettwerk Producer Management.^[2]

As one of the first projects at Larrabee in the early 1990s, Russo mixed vocals for Michael Jackson's album Dangerous (1991),^[2] Bobby Brown's album Bobby (1992), Cher's Greatest Hits 1965-1992 (1993), Diana Ross's Take Me Higher (1995) and Paula Abdul's Head Over Heels (1995).^[1][6]

That early work laid foundation for Russo's later career. Over the years he has worked with a variety of well-known musicians, in addition to the ones named above,

• Alejandro Sanz (El Tren de los Momentos),
• Aterciopelados (Oye),
• Audioslave (Audioslave, Like a Stone, Doesn't Remind Me, Out of exile),
• Babyface (For the Cool in You, The Day, A Collection of His Greatest Hits),
• Bird York (The Velvet Hour, Wicked Little High),
• Enrique Iglesias (Enrique Iglesias),
• Eric Clapton (Change The World),
• Faith Evans (A Faithful Christmas, Keep the Faith),
• Huecco (Assalto, Huecco),
• Jay Z (99 Problems),
• Jermaine Dupri (12 Soulful Nights of Christmas),
• Jesse and Joy (Electricidad),
• Jonny Cash (American IV: The Man Comes Around),
• Juanes (Fíjate Bien, Un Día Normal, Mi Sangre, La Vida... Es Un Ratico),
• Lili Haydn (Place Between Places),
• Macy Gray (The Id, The Trouble with Being Myself, The Very Best of Macy Gray),
• Maná (Amar es Combatir, Drama y Luz),
• Michael Jackson (King of Pop),
• Toto (Kingdom of Desire)

and others; full listings are available.^[1][6]

Since 2000, Russo has been specializing more in Latin rock and pop music and has worked with Juanes, Mana, and other Latin artists from Latin America, Central America, and Spain.^[1]

Russo's mixing techniques include the commonly used audio filtering with different microphones and equalizers, reduction and amplification by DRC, sound fading, and a range of more unconventional approaches.^[7] He adapts his methods to accentuate the idiosyncratic features in the music he records,^[7] citing the record producer and colleague Rick Rubin as one of the main professional influences.^[5]

Awards[link]

Russo has received 12 platinum record awards for his work in the music industry, and won 2 American Grammy Awards and 11 Latin Grammy Awards (listed below in chronological order).

• Rock Solo Vocal Album award for Fijate Bien, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2001, engineer/mixer^[8]
• Nomination for Album of the Year award, for Fijate Bien, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2001, engineer/mixer
• Nomination for Record of the Year award for El Alma Al Aire, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2001, engineer/mixer
• Album of the Year award, for Un Día Normal, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2003, engineer/mixer^[8]
• Record of the Year award for Es Por Ti, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2003, engineer/mixer^[8]
• Best Rock Solo Vocal Album award for Mi Sangre, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2005, engineer/mixer^[8]
• Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album award for Amar Es Combatir, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 2006, engineer/mixer^[9]
• Best Latin Pop Album award for El Tren de los Momentos, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 2007, engineer^[9]
• Best Alternative Music Album award for Oye, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2007, engineer^[8]
• Album of the Year award for La Vida... Es Un Ratico, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2008, engineer/mixer^[8]
• Record of the Year award for Me Enamora, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2008, engineer/mixer^[8]
• Best Male Pop Vocal Album award for La Vida... Es Un Ratico, Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, 2008, engineer^[8]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Thom Russo Credits, All Music, Accessed July 2, 2011.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Advice from a Producer/Mixer Musician Coaching, June 2, 2011, Accessed July 2, 2011.
3. ^ Thom Russo Biography AOL Music, Accessed July 2, 2011.
4. ^ Thom Russo IMDb, Accessed July 2, 2011.
5. ^ ^{a b c} Thom Russo -- Interview Latin Media Gurus, 2010, Accessed July 2, 2011.
6. ^ ^{a b} Thom Russo Album Credits, Accessed July 2, 2011.
7. ^ ^{a b} THE BLUE Q&A SESSION with Thom Russo Vintage Microphone, Accessed July 2, 2011.
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Thom Russo Past winners, The Latin Grammy Awards, Accessed July 2, 2011.
9. ^ ^{a b} Thom Russo Past winners, The Grammy Awards, Accessed July 2, 2011.

External links[link]

• YouTube interview
• Personal web page

Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson, 2008 at the North Sea Jazz Festival
Background information
Birth name	Mark Daniel Ronson
Born	(1975-09-04) 4 September 1975 (age 36) Notting Hill, London, England[1]
Occupations	Musician, DJ, producer
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Allido/Columbia/RCA/J Roc Nation
Associated acts	Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Daniel Merriweather, Jordan Galland, Wale, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, the Business International, Samantha Ronson
Website	markronson.co.uk

Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975)^[2] is an English DJ, musician, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.

While his debut album Here Comes the Fuzz failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album, Version included three top ten hits and won Ronson a Brit Award for Best British Male Artist in 2008.^[3] His third studio album, Record Collection, was released on 27 September 2010.

Early life[link]

Ronson was born at the Wellington Hospital, St John's Wood, to writer/socialite Ann Dexter-Jones and one-time band manager and real estate entrepreneur Laurence Ronson.^[4] His parents are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, with ancestors from Austria, Russia, and Lithuania, and Ronson was brought up in Conservative Judaism.^[5][6] Ronson's family name was originally Aaronson, but his grandfather Henry Ronson changed it to Ronson.^[7] Ronson is the nephew of property tycoon Gerald Ronson. Ronson is related to British Conservative politicians Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Leon Brittan,^[4] as well as Odeon Cinemas founder Oscar Deutsch.^[8] Ronson has twin sisters who are two years younger than him, Charlotte Ronson, a fashion designer, and Samantha Ronson, a singer and DJ. Ronson also has five younger half-siblings. Alexander and Annabelle, through his mother's remarriage to Mick Jones as well as Henrietta, David and Joshua, through his father's remarriage to model Michele First. After his parents broke up, his mother married Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, which contributed to a childhood surrounded by music.^[9]

Career[link]

Ronson went to high school at the private Collegiate School in New York.^[10] Attending Vassar College and then New York University (NYU), Ronson became a regular at downtown hip hop spots and made his name as a DJ on the New York club scene in 1993, charging $50 per job. Though a novice with little experience, he became known for his diverse, genre-spanning selection. Influenced by funk, the hip hop scene of New York and the more rock influence of the UK (all of which he incorporated in his sets) he attracted a wider audience. He was soon one of the most respected DJs and was being called on for celebrities' private parties. In 1999, Ronson was featured in an ad wearing Tommy Hilfiger denim in the recording studio for an ad campaign for the company.^[11]

He provided the score for the 2011 film Arthur.

[edit] Here Comes the Fuzz and initial producing

He moved on, however, to producing music after Nikka Costa's manager heard one of his gigs and introduced the musicians. He produced her song "Everybody Got Their Something", and soon Ronson signed a record contract with Elektra Records. Mark had produced tracks for Hilfiger ads, and in 2001 used the connection to have Costa's single "Like a Feather" used in an ad.^[12]

Ronson's first album, Here Comes the Fuzz, was released in 2003 and was critically acclaimed and a financial success, despite initially poor sales. On the album, he wrote the songs, made the beats and played guitar, keyboards, and bass. The album featured artists from diverse genres, including Mos Def, Jack White, Sean Paul, Nikka Costa, Nappy Roots and Rivers Cuomo.^[13] The best known song from the album, "Ooh Wee", samples "Sunny" by Boney M and features Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Trife Da God, and Saigon. It was featured that year in the movie Honey and its soundtrack. The song was later used in the movies Hitch and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.^[13] Two weeks after releasing Here Comes the Fuzz, Elektra Records dropped him.^[14] Ronson has since produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Lamya,^[15] Macy Gray,^[16] Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Robbie Williams.

Ronson became one of the regular DJs at Justin Timberlake's New York club, Suede, when it opened in 2003.^[17]

In 2004, Ronson formed his own record label, Allido Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's J Records, along with his longtime manager Rich Kleiman. The first artist he signed to Allido was rapper Saigon, who later left to sign with Just Blaze's Fort Knox Entertainment. He has signed Rhymefest, most well known for winning the Grammy for co-writing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks".

[edit] Version

Ronson released a cover of The Smiths' track "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" under the title "Stop Me" on 2 April 2007, featuring singer Daniel Merriweather, which reached number 2 in the UK singles charts, the biggest hit for Ronson to date. Ronson remixed the Bob Dylan song "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" in promotion for the three disc Bob Dylan set titled Dylan released October 2007. Ronson has also produced Candie Payne's "One More Chance (Ronson mix)" in 2007.

The album has been well received by critics. In May 2007 it was awarded the title Album of the Month by the British dance music magazine, Mixmag. On 23 June, the DJ made the cover of the Guardian newspaper's Guide magazine, alongside singer Lily Allen.

In June 2007, Ronson signed DC hip hop artist Wale to Allido Records. In late 2007, he focused on production, working with Daniel Merriweather on his debut album, and recording again with Amy Winehouse and Robbie Williams.^[18]

On 24 October 2007 Ronson performed a one-off set at The Roundhouse in Camden, London as part of the BBC Electric Proms 2007. The performance featured the BBC Concert Orchestra and included special guests Terry Hall, Sean Lennon, Tim Burgess, Alex Greenwald, Ricky Wilson, Charlie Waller, Adele and Kyle Falconer.^[19]

Ronson received a Grammy Award nomination in early December 2007 for 'Producer of the Year, Non Classical', along with Timbaland and Mike Elizondo. Ronson's work with Amy Winehouse also received substantial praise, gaining 6 nominations. Back to Black, an album mostly produced by Ronson was nominated for 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Pop Vocal Album'. "Rehab" received nods for 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance', 'Song of the Year' and 'Record of the Year'. Ronson would go on to win three Grammys for 'Producer of the Year' as well as 'Best Pop Vocal Album' and 'Record of the Year' (which he shared with Amy Winehouse) in early February 2008.^[20]

Ronson is credited as producer on a mixtape album called Man in the Mirror, released in January 2008 by the rapper Rhymefest which is a tribute to the pop star Michael Jackson. The album features Rhymefest appearing to speak to Michael Jackson using archive audio from interviews with the pop star.

Later in January 2008, Ronson received three nominations for the Brit Awards, including 'Best Male Solo Artist', 'Best Album' (Version) and 'Song of the Year' ("Valerie"). Ronson won his first Brit for 'Best Male Solo Artist' in mid February 2008 over favourite Mika. He also performed a medley of "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" with Adele, "Stop Me" with Daniel Merriweather and "Valerie" with Amy Winehouse.

The performance allowed for a large boost in sales in the iTunes UK Top 100. "Valerie" would jump almost 30 spots in the days after the event, while "Just", "Stop Me" and "Oh My God" all appeared in the chart as well. That same week, Ronson appeared twice in the UK Top 40, with "Valerie" rebounding to number 13 and "Just" at number 31, his fourth Top 40 hit from "Version". The Brits performance also allowed for "Version" to climb 18 spots to number 4.

Around this time, Ronson received his first number one on an international chart (Dutch Top 40) for "Valerie", which has spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. He collaborated with Kaiser Chiefs on their third album.^[21]

Ronson has toured the album "Version" vigorously through both the UK and Europe during 2008. Notable sold out performances at The Hammersmith Apollo and Brixton Academy. Ronson is known to champion new upcoming artists on the road with him, such as Sam Sparro and Julian Perretta. Ronson's string backing was provided by the all-female string quartet Demon Strings. In May 2008, Ronson played at the largest private party in the world, the Trinty Ball in Trinity College Dublin.

Ronson in 2007

On 2 July 2008 in Paris, Mark Ronson performed live with Duran Duran for an invited audience. They played new arrangements by Ronson of some Duran Duran songs, along with tracks from the band's new album, Red Carpet Massacre. Ronson & the Version Players also performed songs from his album Version. Simon LeBon sang. As of March 2009 Ronson was working with the group on their upcoming 13th album.^[22] The Album, titled All You Need Is Now was released digitally exclusively via Apple's iTunes on 21 December 2010.

[edit] Record Collection

At the launch of his most recent Gucci pop-up store in London, Ronson confirmed the name of his new album Record Collection, and said that he hoped to have it out by September 2010. Additionally, Ronson announced the name of his new band, "The Business Intl.'", which is the alias adopted by Ronson on the third studio album. The first single "Bang Bang Bang". which featured rapper Q-Tip and singer MNDR^[23] was released on 12 July 2010, where it peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart, giving Ronson his fourth Top 10 hit. The single also saw success on the Irish Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 18. The second single from the album, "The Bike Song", was 19 September 2010^[24] and features Kyle Falconer from The View and Spank Rock. The album was released on 27 September 2010. This is the first of Ronson's albums that he has sung on.^[25]

In 2010, Ronson was given a vocal track to a song titled "Lovely Way", sung by Michael Jackson, to produce for Jackson's posthumous album Michael, although he never physically met Jackson. He submitted the track, but it did not make the track listing for Michael. Ronson said about the rumours surrounding the vocals on the track (due to the controversy surrounding the Cascio tracks on that same album), "It was definitely him singing. I was given a vocal track to work with but I never actually met Michael. [...] It's in the vein of Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and John Lennon's 'Imagine'."^[26]

Videos[link]

Ronson created a video, along with Directors Gary Breslin and Jordan Galland: Circuit Breaker, which is a Homage to video game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.^[27]

Personal life[link]

Ronson spends his time between London and New York. His stepfather is Mick Jones from Foreigner, who raised him from the age of seven.^[28]

In 2002, he began dating Quincy Jones's daughter, actress/singer Rashida Jones^[29] They became engaged in March 2003, with Ronson proposing by creating a crossword puzzle with the message "Will you marry me".^[30] They later broke up. In the beginning of 2008, Ronson briefly dated English model/socialite Daisy Lowe.^[31] Ronson went on to date Tennessee Thomas,^[32] the English drummer of American indie girl band The Like, but they split in early 2009.

He lived next door to and was friends with Sean Lennon.

In March 2009, Ronson was pictured with French actress and singer Joséphine de La Baume.^[33] She was featured in his 2010 video for "The Bike Song." The couple got engaged in February 2011. They married in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France on 3 September 2011.^[34] Ronson wore a white three piece Edward Sexton bespoke suit, La Baume wore a white Zac Posen dress.^[35]

In 2009 he participated in PETA's "Please Don't Wear Any Fur" campaign.^[36] He was also voted the most stylish man in UK by GQ magazine.^[37]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Other charted songs

Notes:

• ^A – As Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.

Production discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Awards[link]

Winner[link]

• Grammy Award 2008 Producer of the Year – Non-Classical, Record of the Year (with Amy Winehouse), Best Pop Vocal Album (also with Winehouse)
• The BRIT Awards 2008 Best British Male Solo Artist
• Vodafone Live Music Awards – Best Live Male – Winner 2008
• Glamour Women of the Year – Men of the Year – Winner 2008

Nominations[link]

• BRIT Awards 2008 Best Album – Version, Best Single Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse)
• MOBO Awards 2010 Best Video – Bang Bang Bang (feat. Q-Tip & MNDR), Best Song – Bang Bang Bang (feat. Q-Tip & MNDR)

References[link]