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Paul Epworth is a British music producer, musician, and songwriter. His production credits include Adele, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Plan B, Friendly Fires, Bloc Party, Chapel Club, Primal Scream, The Rapture, Jack Peñate, Kate Nash, Foster the People and Maxïmo Park. On February 12, 2012 at the 54th Grammy Awards, he won 4 Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, Album of the Year (Adele's 21), and Song of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rolling In The Deep").

Career[link]

Lomax[link]

From 2002–2004 Paul provided lead vocals & guitar for the band Lomax.^[1] He later remixed two songs from the band's catalogue – "Reiterator" and "Modern Life".

Phones/Epic Man[link]

Epworth is well known for his remix work under the name Phones. He began to gain recognition with this moniker based on his work with Bloc Party's track "Banquet"; he has since provided remix work for New Order, U2, P-Diddy, Goldfrapp, Nine Inch Nails, Simian Mobile Disco, The Streets, Interpol, Tom Vek, Death from Above 1979, and Annie. His debut of original material under the Phones name, "Sharpen The Knives/Worryin", was released on French label Kitsuné in November 2006. In 2008 he announced he had killed off the Phones moniker but has said he continues to remix anonymously.

In early 2006 Paul Epworth began making music under another alias, Epic Man. His debut single, "More is Enough", featured Plan B and was featured on the soundtrack for Need For Speed: Pro Street and was released on Epworth's own Good & Evil Records, a subsidiary of 679 Recordings. He has since returned to his Phones name and there are no known plans to release under Epic Man again.

Production[link]

In 2004-5, Epworth produced a quartet of critically acclaimed releases, including two Mercury Music Prize nominations in Silent Alarm by Bloc Party and A Certain Trigger by Maximo Park, the bulk of The Futureheads eponymous debut (including the hit Kate Bush cover "Hounds Of Love"), and Capture/Release by The Rakes as well as singles by Babyshambles and The Long Blondes. He also wrote and produced tracks for British rappers, Kano ("Don't Know Why") and Plan B ("No Good" and "Where You From") This was followed in 2006 by production work on Pieces of the People We Love by The Rapture and the debut album by French band Black Strobe, entitled Burn Your Own Church.

In 2007, Epworth began to contribute more co-writing credits alongside his production. For example, his production on the #1 debut album Made Of Bricks by Kate Nash included a writing credit on the hit single "Foundations" (for which he was nominated for an Ivor Novello songwriters award.) In 2008, Paul Epworth produced much of Sam Sparro's eponymous debut album which entered the UK album charts at number 4 and the Primal Scream single, "Cant Go Back", along with the title track of their recent album Beautiful Future. Epworth also completed production duties on much of the new Bloc Party record, Intimacy and co-wrote and produced Friendly Fires track "Jump In The Pool".

Early 2009 saw Epworth co-writing and recording Jack Peñate's critically lauded second album Everything Is New including the singles "Tonight's Today" and "Be the One". He also co-wrote and produced tracks for Florence and the Machine's debut album Lungs, including hit single "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" along with the album tracks "Howl", "Cosmic Love", "Hurricane Drunk" and "Blinding". He also worked further with Friendly Fires on a single version of the track "Skeleton Boy" and produced the forthcoming single by The Big Pink, "Stop The World". In February 2009 he won best newcomer at the inaugural Music Producers Guild Awards. In Spring 2009, Paul co-produced another single with The Big Pink entitled "Dominos", and a new Friendly Fires single "Kiss Of Life".

Summer 2009 brought Epworth his third and fourth Mercury music prize nomination in the shape of Florence and the Machine's "Lungs" and Friendly Fires' eponymous debut. He also finished album tracks for Norwegian pop artist Annie for her delayed album "Don't Stop", and wrote the "Zingolo" for Cadbury's "Fair Trade" advert, featuring Ghanaian MC Tinny, mixed the track "Silva & Grimes" for Holy Fuck's Latin lp. He finished up the year working on new tracks by London MC/Singer Plan B for his number 1 album "The Defamation Of Strickland Banks" including the top 10 single "Stay Too Long", and tracks for Canadian duo Crystal Castles (including single Celestica), writing with Grammy winner Adele, singer Sky Ferreira and producing a single version of album track "Tonight" with The Big Pink.

In February 2010 Epworth won Brit Award / Music Producer's Guild Award for Producer Of The Year and received Music Week Producer of the Year in April.

Early 2010 saw Epworth deliver tracks for London band Chapel Club's forthcoming LP and begin work on both Friendly Fires' and Florence and the Machine's sophomore LPs. Alongside this, he also signed a solo deal with Columbia Records, with an album due late 2010 or early 2011. Epworth added his production hand to Primary 1's forthcoming album including lead single "Princess". Summer 2010 saw him also provide production on two versions of Cee Lo Green's cover of Band Of Horses' "No One's Gonna Love You", and for the single "It's OK".

Late 2010 / early 2011 saw the release of the acclaimed Epworth co-written and produced worldwide Number 1 single "Rolling in the Deep" from Adele, from the album 21. The album features three Epworth co-writes with Adele, of which he produced "I'll Be Waiting", while "He Won't Go" was produced by Rick Rubin. Summer 2011 saw Epworth working on The Big Pink's forthcoming lp "Future This" and the critically acclaimed "Ceremonials" by Florence + The Machine.

On February 12, 2012 he won 4 Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, Album of the Year (Adele's 21), Song of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rolling In The Deep", with Adele).

In 2012 Epworth will be producing the debut album of Azealia Banks^[2]

Discography[link]

Singles (as Phones)[link]

• 2006 "Sharpen The Knives / Worryin"

Singles (as Epic Man)[link]

• 2006 "More Is Enough" (feat. Plan B)

Production[link]

• 2004 The Futureheads – The Futureheads (679 Recordings)
• 2004 Babyshambles – "Killamangiro" (Rough Trade Records)
• 2005 Bloc Party – Silent Alarm (Wichita)
• 2005 Red Organ Serpent Sound – In Search of Orgazmus (Vertigo Records)
• 2005 Death from Above 1979 – Romance Bloody Romance (one track: "You're Lovely (But You've Got Problems)") (Vice Records)
• 2005 Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger (Warp Records)
• 2005 The Rakes – Capture/Release (V2)
• 2005 The Long Blondes – "Separated By Motorways" (Rough Trade Records)
• 2005 Kano – Home Sweet Home (one track: "I Don't Know Why") (679 Recordings)
• 2006 Acoustic Ladyland – Skinny Grin (6 tracks) (V2)
• 2006 The Rapture – Pieces of the People We Love (Motown/Universal)
• 2006 Plan B – Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (679 Recordings)
• 2006 White Rose Movement – Kick (Independiente)
• 2007 Black Strobe – Burn Your Own Church (Playlouderecordings)
• 2007 Kate Nash – Made of Bricks (Polydor)
• 2007 Shy Child – Noise Won't Stop (2 tracks) (Play It Again Sam)
• 2008 Sam Sparro – Sam Sparro (2 tracks) (Island Records)
• 2008 Primal Scream – Beautiful Future (2 tracks) (B-Unique)
• 2008 Bloc Party – Intimacy
• 2008 Friendly Fires – "Jump in the Pool" (XL Recordings)
• 2009 Friendly Fires – "Skeleton Boy" (XL Recordings)
• 2009 Friendly Fires – "Kiss Of Life" (XL Recordings)
• 2009 Jack Peñate – "Tonight's Today" (XL Recordings)
• 2009 Jack Peñate – Everything Is New (XL Recordings)
• 2009 Florence and the Machine – Lungs (Island Records)
• 2009 The Big Pink "Dominos" single (4AD)
• 2009 The Big Pink "Stop The World" single (4AD)
• 2009 Annie – Don't Stop
• 2010 Plan B – The Defamation of Strickland Banks (679/Atlantic)
• 2010 Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer (Elektra)
• 2011 Chapel Club - "Palace (album)" Loog Records / Mercury Records
• 2011 Adele – "Rolling in the Deep" single XL Records / Columbia
• 2011 Adele – "21" XL Records / Columbia
• 2011 Foster the People – "Torches" (Columbia Records)
• 2011 Friendly Fires – "Pala" (XL Recordings)
• 2011 Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials (Island Records)
• 2012 The Big Pink – Future This (I4AD)
• 2012 Azealia Banks- "Bambi"

Remixes[link]

• 2004 Annie – "Heartbeat"
• 2004 Bloc Party – "Banquet"
• 2004 Death from Above 1979 – "Romantic Rights"
• 2004 The Futureheads – "Decent Days and Nights"
• 2004 The Streets – "Fit But You Know It"
• 2004 The Futureheads – "Hounds of Love"
• 2005 Gang of Four – "Not Great Men"
• 2005 Goldfrapp – "Ooh La La"
• 2005 The Kills – "Love Is a Deserter"
• 2005 New Order – "Krafty"
• 2005 The Killers – "Smile Like You Mean It"
• 2005 The Others – "This Is for the Poor"
• 2005 The Rakes – "Retreat"
• 2005 Tom Vek – "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes"
• 2005 Tom Vek – "Nothing But Green Lights"
• 2005 White Rose Movement – "Alsatian"
• 2005 U2 – "City of Blinding Lights"
• 2006 Black Strobe – "Shining Bright Star"
• 2006 Bloc Party – "The Prayer"
• 2006 Muse – "Supermassive Black Hole"
• 2006 Wolf & Cub – "Thousand Cuts"
• 2007 Peter Bjorn and John feat. Victoria Bergsman – "Young Folks"
• 2007 Diddy – "Tell Me"
• 2007 New Young Pony Club – "The Bomb"
• 2007 Nine Inch Nails – "Capital G"
• 2007 Roxy Music – "Editions of You"
• 2007 Interpol – "The Heinrich Maneuver"
• 2007 Dead Soul Bros – "Come On Now"
• 2008 Pin Me Down – "Cryptic"
• 2008 Jape – I Was A Man
• 2008 The Black Ghosts – "Repetition Kills You"
• 2008 Friendly Fires – "Skeleton Boy"
• 2008 Bloc Party – "Talons"
• 2008 Santogold – "Say Aha"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Paul Epworth on Twitter
• Paul Epworth at Allmusic

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There are many people in history who are commonly appended with the phrase "the Great", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as e Bozorg and e azam in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.^[1]

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus)^[2] assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "the Great".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers[link]

• Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran
• Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India
• Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat
• Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia
• Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia
• Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias
• Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex
• Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty
• Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),
• Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire
• Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand
• Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)
• Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden
• Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland
• Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
• Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India
• Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans
• Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)
• Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks
• Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen
• Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor
• Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media
• Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire
• Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire
• Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse^[3]
• Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia
• Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
• Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader
• Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea^[4][5]
• Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC
• Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)
• Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre
• Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea
• Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris
• Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France
• Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)
• Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat
• Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia
• John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve
• John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre
• Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor
• Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i
• Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India
• Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia
• Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty
• Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales
• Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland
• Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand
• Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
• Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)
• Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)
• Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom
• Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya
• Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)
• Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
• Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)
• K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque
• Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka
• Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia
• Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia
• Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily
• Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar
• Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar
• Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.^[6][7][8]
• Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India
• Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)
• Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties
• Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)
• Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev
• Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders
• Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre
• Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire
• Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king^[9]
• Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia
• Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)
• Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks
• Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)
• Tamar (1160-1123), Queen of the Georgian Empire
• Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty
• Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie
• Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire
• Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor
• Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia
• Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia
• Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire
• Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark
• Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor
• Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus
• Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy
• William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon
• William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou
• Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)
• Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures[link]

• Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East
• Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia
• Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian
• Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt
• Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader
• Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)
• Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint
• Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint
• Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)
• Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine
• Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)
• Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)
• Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit
• Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)
• Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople
• William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other[link]

• Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies
• Emmy the Great, folk singer
• Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III
• Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also[link]

• Epithet
• List of monarchs by nickname
• List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I
• James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus
• Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose common honorific "Mahatma" means "Great Soul"

Notes[link]

Gonzales
Gonzales at Moers Festival 2006, Germany
Background information
Birth name	Jason Charles Beck
Also known as	Chilly Gonzales
Occupations	Singer, Producer, Songwriter, Actor, Screenwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Labels	Arts & Crafts, Gentle Threat, Kitty-Yo, No Format!
Associated acts	Peaches, Feist, Mocky, Puppetmastaz
Website	http://www.chillygonzales.com/

Gonzales at a concert with Socalled, 2005 at Théatre National in Montreal.

Gonzales, (born Jason Charles Beck; 1972), is a Grammy-nominated Canadian musician currently residing in Paris, France.^[1] Though best known for his first MC and electro albums, he is also a pianist, producer, and songwriter.

He regularly collaborates with the Canadian musicians Feist, Peaches and Mocky. Additionally, he has collaborated with Jamie Lidell on the albums Multiply and Compass, Buck 65 on the album Secret House Against the World, and performed with Drake at the 2011 Juno Awards. According to The New Yorker, "when Gonzales released an album called 'Presidential Suite', Feist accompanied him on tour around Europe and Australia." ^[2]

Biography[link]

Gonzales was born on March 20, 1972^[3] and began teaching himself piano at age three, when his older brother Chris began taking lessons. He was later classically trained as a pianist at McGill University, where he began both his composing career, co-authoring several musicals with his brother, and his performing career, as a jazz virtuoso.

In the 1990s, he embarked on a pop career as the leader of the alternative rock band Son. Son was signed to a three-album deal with Warner Music Canada in 1995, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. The first release, the Prince/Elvis Costello-flavored LP Thriller, was moderately successful, spawning one single that received heavy radio airplay ("Pick up the Phone") and leading to several opening gigs for the Barenaked Ladies. While the album's production values were limited (Warner Bros. simply released the band's hastily recorded demo), it showcased Beck's gift for melody, and his talent as a self-taught producer.

The latter was even more in evidence with Son's second release, Wolfstein, recorded at a fully equipped studio in LA with the assistance of Chris Beck, then on his way to becoming an Emmy-award winning soundtrack composer. Nominally a concept album about a man who starts turning into a wolf after hitting one with his car, it featured a darker, more complex sensibility than its predecessor, and marked Gonzales's arrival as a musical innovator in his own right.

As far as Warner Bros. was concerned, however, the album represented too radical a change in direction, and suffered from a dearth of singles acceptable to the Canadian pop charts—perhaps the most upbeat, catchy tune on the album had the radio-unfriendly title, "Making a Jew Cry". The label gave little promotional support to the release, and parted ways with the band soon after. (While remaining largely silent on the experience in interviews, Gonzales did recount part of his Warner Bros. experience in "Candy", the opening track to his 2000 album, The Entertainist.)

Gonzales at the Mod Club in Toronto 2009.

Recognising that pop success had as much to do with a good press angle as musical talent, Gonzales decamped to Berlin in 1999, where he decided his Jewish faith could give him a marketing edge. However, he spoke no German.^[4] He adopted the 'Chilly Gonzales' moniker after reportedly being hailed as such by a stranger in the street, and developed this into his popular stage persona as a Jewish supervillain MC. Of moving away from Canada, what Gonzales said in an interview was: “My experiences in Canada had been disappointing, because I hadn’t really stepped up on the extra-musical elements of music making." ^[5]

With this change in image came another major change in Gonzales's musical style. His three albums on the German Kitty-yo label were largely built around rap, though his skills as a keyboardist shone through on a series of interspersed instrumental tracks. European critics and audiences were more receptive to the eclectic and experimental nature of Gonzales's output. His first Kitty-yo single, "Let's Groove Again", became an immediate dancefloor hit upon its 1999 release. (It was later used in a BBC promotional trailer for their new TV programme The Restaurant aired in 2007.) Gonzales became a fixture in both nightclubs and on the summer pop festival circuit.

In 2004 the performer released an album entirely made up of instrumental material, "Solo Piano". Highly acclaimed by public and critics alike, it drew immediate comparisons to the work of Erik Satie and so attracted a new global audience to his work. "Solo Piano" has been released in several countries, and remains Gonzales's best-selling album to date.

In the meantime Gonzales continued to develop as a producer and songwriter for other artists, collaborating on singles and albums with Peaches, renowned chanteuse Jane Birkin and budding indie star Leslie Feist. The output of the latter collaboration—Feist's 2003 album, "Let It Die"-- became a bestseller, won critical acclaim and industry awards, and became the basis for her breakthrough as a mainstream pop artist. Gonzales returned as a key contributor on Feist's 2007 album, "The Reminder", which was nominated for a Grammy and won a Juno Award.

In early 2008 he announced he was going back to the studio as a singer in his own right, and had re-signed with a major label, Mercury Records. On April 7 Soft Power was released. While maintaining a typically eclectic mix of styles, Soft Power was in some ways a stylistic return for Gonzales—his most purely pop recording since Thriller, though with a sound inspired more by the seventies hits of such artists as the Bee Gees and Billy Joel. Of his choice to sing on this album, Gonzales said in an interview, “I was afraid of doing an album with a bunch of guests, as so many people could’ve expected. I didn’t want to open up my Rolodex and get everyone to sing for me. I thought, ‘No, I want to put myself in more of a danger zone.’” ^[6] Gonzales said in an interview that he works in the Bee Gees style of music: "There's a Bee Gees cover on Feist's album Let it Die "Inside and Out" which I'm sort of responsible, for better or worse, for putting on that album." ^[7]

Apart from his solo career, he is also a member of the Berlin-based hip-hop band Puppetmastaz.

On May 18, 2009, at the Ciné 13 Théâtre (French), Paris, he broke a world record for the longest solo-artist performance with a total time of 27 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds, breaking a record set by Prasanna Gudi.^[8]

On September 25, 2009, he challenged singer/songwriter/fellow pianist Andrew W.K. to a piano battle at Joe's Pub in New York City. After twenty minutes of back and forth, Chilly finally threw a gold necklace at Andrew, distracting him long enough to claim victory. A rematch has been talked about but not yet organized.

He may be most famously known by his song "Never Stop" on his 2010 album which the opening piano tune was featured on the original Apple Inc.'s iPad commercials. ^[9] Apple even went as far to make an electric guitar version ^[10].

Discography[link]

• Let's Groove Again - Single, 1999
• O.P. Original Prankster - (EP), 1999
• Gonzales Über Alles - Kitty-Yo, 2000
• The Entertainist - Kitty-Yo, 2000 (under the name "Chilly Gonzales")
• Presidential Suite - Kitty-Yo, 2002
• Z - Kitty-Yo, 2003
• Solo Piano - No Format!, 2004
• Soft Power - Mercury/Universal, 2008
• Ivory Tower - Gentle Threat, 2010 (under the name "Chilly Gonzales")
• The Unspeakable Chilly Gonzales - Gentle Threat, 2011 (under the name "Chilly Gonzales")

DVD content[link]

• From Major to Minor - 2006 - No Format!

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Kitty-Yo: Gonzales
• No Format!
• Epitonic: Gonzales^{[dead link]}
• Ustream: 27-hour concert highlights
• Thought Catalog: Introducing Chilly Gonzales
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/may/20/gonzales-longest-solo-concert
• Chilly Gonzales in session at the Rob da Bank show
• [1]
• 2011 Interview on the Jekyll and Hyde Show, 106FM Jerusalem

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]