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Mark Ronson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Ronson (born in London) is a New York based English DJ, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He is the son of socialite/writer Ann Dexter-Jones and real estate mogul Laurence Ronson. His stepfather is Mick Jones from Foreigner and is also the older brother of singer and DJ Samantha Ronson and clothing designer Charlotte Ronson.
Ronson grew up hanging out with rock stars Paul McCartney, The Bee Gees, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen (and the rock offspring like Sean Lennon, Wilson Phillips and the Marley children (minus Ziggy)) at his family's Central Park West townhouse. As a teen, Ronson describes himself as "bookish musically". 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.
He moved on, however, to producing music. After producing Nikka Costa's "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. 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.
Ronson has continued producing records for many of the top artists in the world of music. In 2004, Ronson took the next step and 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".
He produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Robbie Williams.
In March 2006, Ronson released a cover of Radiohead's "Just" as a single. In certain areas it gained major radio play. It was released as part of "Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads", a full Radiohead covers CD, in April. Ronson's second album, Version, due for release in the UK on April 16, 2007, 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", and Ryan Adams' "Amy".
Ronson is due to release a cover of classic The Smiths' track Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before. He is one the faces of DKNY Men's Spring 2006 campaign