Mark Ronson
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Mark Ronson |
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Mark Daniel Ronson (born September 4, 1975)[3] is an English Brit Award and three-time Grammy award[4]-winning music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. His debut album Here Comes the Fuzz, focused on American hip hop. Despite including collaborations with Sean Paul, Nate Dogg and Ghostface Killah, it failed to make an impact on the charts.
His second album, Version, focused on the British music scene, with covers of songs by the likes of Radiohead, Maxïmo Park, The Smiths, The Zutons and Kaiser Chiefs. The album includes three top ten hits and won Ronson a BRIT Award for Best Male Artist 2008.
Early life
Ronson was born into a well off family at the Wellington Hospital, north London, England, the son of writer and socialite Ann Dexter-Jones and one-time band manager and real estate entrepreneur Laurence Ronson.[5] His parents are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, with ancestors from Russia and Lithuania, and Ronson was brought up in Conservative Judaism.[6] Ronson is related to British Conservative Party politicians Malcolm Rifkind and Leon Brittan,[7] and has younger twin sisters, Charlotte Ronson, a fashion designer, and Samantha Ronson a singer and DJ as well. After his parents broke up, his mother married Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, which contributed to a childhood surrounded by music.[8]
Career
| This section possibly contains original research. (April 2008) |
Ronson went to high school at Collegiate School (New York).[9] 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.[10]
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.[11]
Ronson's first album, Here Comes the Fuzz, was released in 2003 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.[12] The best known song from the album, "Ooh Wee", samples "Sunny" by Boney M and features Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, and Trife Da God. The song was later used in the movies Hitch and Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.[12] Ronson has since produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Lamya,[13] Macy Gray,[14] 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.[15]
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. Now he has signed Rhymefest, most well-known for winning the Grammy for co-writing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks".
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 simply titled "Dylan" released October of 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 June 23, 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.[16]
On 24 October 2007 saw Ronson perform 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.[17]
Ronson received a Grammy 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.[18]
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 Ronson 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 favorite 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 recently collaborated with Kaiser Chiefs on their third album.[19]
Ronson has toured the album "Version" vigorously through both the UK and Europe for the last year. 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. In May 2008, Ronson played at the largest private party in the world, the Trinty Ball in Trinity College Dublin.
On July 2nd 2008 in Paris, Mark Ronson performed a unique live set with Duran Duran for an exclusive, invitation-only performance. Together, they showcased specially re-worked versions of some of Duran Duran's classic hits that were created by Ronson, along with tracks from the band's critically-acclaimed new album, Red Carpet Massacre. Ronson & the Version Players also brought Mark's acclaimed live show to the event, performing songs from his album, "Version". Simon LeBon was one of his featured guest vocalists.
Personal life
Ronson is the nephew of property tycoon Gerald Ronson. Mark has two sisters who are twins: Charlotte is a fashion designer and Samantha is a DJ and singer. He lived next door to, and was friends with, Sean Lennon. Ronson became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 2008.[20]
In 2002, he began dating Quincy Jones's daughter, actress/singer Rashida Jones, later from the American version of The Office.[21] They became engaged in March 2003, with Ronson proposing by creating a crossword puzzle with the message "Will you marry me".[22] They later broke up. Mark Ronson made a cameo appearance in the video of "More Than a Woman" by Aaliyah as a DJ in the club-dancing scenes in a booth. In the beginning of 2008, Ronson started to date English socailite/ model Daisy Lowe but broke up in September 2008. Ronson is currently dating Tennessee Thomas, the English drummer of American indie girl band, The Like.
Discography
Albums
- Here Comes the Fuzz (8 September 2003) UK #70[23]
- Version (16 April 2007) UK #2[23] US #129
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions [23] | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRE | US | ITA | NET | AUS | BUL | SWI | |||||
| Hot 100 | R&B | Rhy | ||||||||||
| 2003 | "Ooh Wee" (feat. Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg, Trife Da God & Saigon) | Here Comes the Fuzz | ||||||||||
| "International Affair" (feat. Sean Paul & Tweet) + | ||||||||||||
| 2006 | "Just" (feat. Alex Greenwald) (original issue) | Version | ||||||||||
| 2007 | "Stop Me" (feat. Daniel Merriweather) | |||||||||||
| "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" (feat. Daptone Horns) ++ | ||||||||||||
| "No One Knows" (feat. Domino) ++ | ||||||||||||
| "Oh My God" (feat. Lily Allen) | Version | |||||||||||
| "Valerie" (feat. Amy Winehouse) | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | "Just" (feat. Alex Greenwald) (reissue) | |||||||||||
+ not released as commercial single, charted as album cut from airplay ++ not released as commercial single, charted from digital downloads
Singles produced by Mark Ronson
| Year | Song | Artist | Chart Position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | U.S. R&B | U.S. | ITA | AUS | |||
| 2001 | "Like A Feather" | Nikka Costa | 53 | - | - | - | - |
| 2002 | "School's In" | J-Live | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2004 | "City Rules" | Daniel Merriweather (feat. Saigon) | - | - | - | - | 76 |
| "She's Got Me" | Daniel Merriweather | - | - | - | - | 69 | |
| 2005 | "These Days" | Rhymefest | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | "Lovelight" | Robbie Williams | 8 | - | - | 4 | 25 |
| "Littlest Things" | Lily Allen | 21 | - | - | - | - | |
| "Rehab" | Amy Winehouse | 7 | - | 9 | 9 | 35 | |
| 2007 | "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'Aime Plus" | Robbie Williams (feat. Lily Allen) | - | - | - | - | - |
| "You Know I'm No Good" | Amy Winehouse | 18 | 87 | 78 | - | - | |
| "Back to Black" | Amy Winehouse | 25 | - | - | 12 | - | |
| "One More Chance" | Candie Payne | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Slow Down Baby" | Christina Aguilera | - | - | - | - | 21 | |
| "Wake Up Call (Remix)" | Maroon 5 (feat. Mary J. Blige) | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Love Is A Losing Game" | Amy Winehouse | 46 | - | - | 24 | - | |
| 2008 | "Cold Shoulder" | Adele | 18 | - | - | - | - |
| "Never Miss A Beat" | Kaiser Chiefs | 5 | - | - | - | - | |
| "Cash In My Pocket" | Wiley (feat. Daniel Merriweather) | 18 | - | - | - | - | |
| 2009 | "Change" | Daniel Merriweather (feat. Wale) | - | - | - | - | - |
Awards
- 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
Nominations
- The BRIT Awards 2008 Best Album - Version, Best Single - Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse)
References
- ^ Mark Ronson Biography Markronson.net
- ^ Eliscu, Jenny (2007-06-14), Kaiser Chiefs"The Diva and Her Demons". Rolling Stone. (1028):58-69 Retrieved 2007-12-14
- ^ Mark Ronson
- ^ "Grammy Award winners". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ [1]
- ^ Mark Ronson interview » at Jewtastic
- ^ The man Amy and Lily go to when they want a hit - Times Online
- ^ Alexis Petridis meets Mark Ronson | Pop | Guardian Unlimited Music
- ^ http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/profiles/30894/
- ^ Cardona, Mercedes M. (1999-02-08), "Hilfiger's new apparel lines getting individual ad efforts". Advertising Age. 70 (6):24
- ^ Hall, Rashaun (05/05/2001), "Virgin's Nikka Costa Goes Beyond Family Ties". Billboard. 113 (18):14
- ^ a b Swanson, David (07/24/2003) "Mark Ronson". Rolling Stone. (927):27
- ^ Paoletta, Michael (2002-07-13), "J Records' Lamya Experiences 'Learning' Curve With Debut Album". Billboard. 114 (28):21
- ^ M. P.; Paoletta, Michael (2003-08-02), "The Trouble With Being Myself". Billboard. 115 (31):35
- ^ Cruz, Clarissa (03-14-2003), "Hot Spot". Entertainment Weekly (700):13
- ^ Mark Ronson: He's got it covered video interview with stv.tv
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/electricproms/2007/artists/markronson/
- ^ http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/50th_Show/list.aspx
- ^ "Mark Ronson: 'New Kaiser Chiefs album echoes debut'". NME. 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ Mark Ronson Gets U.S. Citizenship for Presidential Election
- ^ (2002-05-13), "rashida jones". People. 57 (18):140
- ^ Abel, Olivia (03/17/2003), "Passages". People. 59 (10):81
- ^ a b c "Mark Ronson's worldwide chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
External links
Official
- MarkRonson.co.uk, official home page
- MySpace.com/MarkRonson, Ronson's official MySpace page
- Allido Records
General
- Mark Ronson Exclusive Interview
- "Mark Ronson - Version Deluxe", interview with musicOMH.com
- "Mark Ronson Interview", at Caught In The Crossfire
- Sounds:Mark Ronson, interview with TimesOnline Listen: (mp3) • (iTunes)
- "Authentic Shit: MARK RONSON", weekly radio show on East Village Radio
- "House of the Rising Ronsons", New York magazine article on the Ronson family
- 1975 births
- American Jews
- Ashkenazi Jews
- BRIT Award winners
- British immigrants to the United States
- British Jews
- British male singers
- British record producers
- English people of Russian descent
- Grammy Award winners
- The Collegiate School alumni
- DJs
- English Americans
- Hip hop DJs
- Hip hop record producers
- Jewish singers
- Living people
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks
- People from London