Mark Ronson
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Mark Ronson |
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Mark Ronson (born 4 September 1977) is a British music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. So far in his career he is best known for his song "Ooh Wee" featuring Ghostface Killah and Nate Dogg, the cover version of The Smiths song "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" which featured Daniel Merriweather on vocals, and his collaboration with Lily Allen on his version of the Kaiser Chiefs track "Oh My God".
Biography
Early life
Ronson was born in London, the son of socialite/writer Ann Dexter-Jones[1] and Laurence Ronson, and the brother of singer and DJ Samantha Ronson and clothing designer Charlotte Ronson. His parents are of Eastern European Jewish descent, with ancestors from Russia, Lithuania and Austria, and Ronson was raised in Conservative Judaism.[2] Ronson grew up in New York (where he moved at 8) closely around music, as his stepfather was Foreigner guitarist, Mick Jones. As a teen, Ronson describes himself as "bookish musically".
Career
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. He was soon one of the most respected DJs and was being called on for celebrities' private parties. Ronson is known for his diverse, genre-spanning selection, influenced by both the hip-hop scene of New York and the more rock influence of the UK, amongst others.
He moved on, however, to producing music. After producing Nikka Costa's song "Everybody Got Their Something," Ronson signed a record contract with Elektra Records. His first album Here Comes the Fuzz was released in 2003 and was a critically acclaimed success that featured artists of all genres, despite initially poor sales. The most well known song from the album, "Ooh Wee" samples "Sunny" by Boney M and features Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, and Trife Da God. He has since produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Robbie Williams.
In 2004, he 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 Rhymefest, most well-known for winning the Grammy for co-writing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks".
In March 2006, Ronson released a cover of Radiohead's "Just" as a single. In certain areas, such as the UK, it gained major radio play. It also saw release as part of Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads, a full Radiohead covers CD, in April, later appearing on Ronson's second album, Version, which was released in the UK on 16 April 2007. It includes other covers of a diverse selection of rock & pop songs including: Kaiser Chiefs' "Oh My God" (featuring guest vocals from Lily Allen), Coldplay's "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face", Britney Spears' "Toxic", Ryan Adams' "Amy", Maxïmo Park's "Apply Some Pressure", The Zutons' "Valerie" and Kasabian's "L.S.F.".
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, which reached #2 in the UK singles charts, the biggest hit for Ronson to date. Ronson re-mixed the Bob Dylan song "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)" for the three disc Bob Dylan set simply titled "Dylan" to be released in October 2007. Ronson has also produced Candie Payne's "One More Chance (Ronson mix)" in 2007 and is rumoured to be working on the new Sugababes album.
Ronson's new album Version 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 June 23, the DJ made the cover of the Guardian newspaper's Guide magazine, alongside the singer Lily Allen.
Discography
Albums
- Here Comes the Fuzz (8 September, 2003) UK #70
- Version (16 April, 2007) UK #2
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | U.S. | ITA | AUS | BUL | SWI | |||
| 2003 | "Ooh Wee" (feat. Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg & Trife Da God) | Here Comes the Fuzz | ||||||
| 2006 | "Just" (feat. Alex Greenwald) | Version | ||||||
| 2007 | "Stop Me" (feat. Daniel Merriweather) | |||||||
| "Oh My God" (feat. Lily Allen) | ||||||||
References
External links
- Mark Ronson at MTV.com
- Official home page
- Mark Ronson's Official MySpace Site
- Allido Records
- Interview with Mark Ronson at musicOMH.com
- Caught In The Crossfire Interview
- Mark Ronson and Lilly Allen - Oh My God Music video at KOvideo.net
- 20 Questions with Mark Ronson: The Line Of Best Fit
- Version album review: The Line Of Best Fit
- Authentic Shit: East Village Radio
- NextOnTheDecks.com
- Interview with Mark Ronson at http://www.britishhiphop.co.uk
- New York Magazine article on The Ronson Family
- URB Magazine Profile (2nd Article)
- Version album review on NG Magazine
- Mixmag album of the month list
- Dylan07 Site
- Interview @ Format Mag