Mark Ronson

The man behind some of the most acclaimed pop albums of the 21st century, producer Mark Ronson also became a star in his own right with a modern-retro sound which drew upon everything from '60s girl-group pop to '80s funk. Ronson first rose to fame as a turntablist for the New York social elite before he began making records of his own, with 2003 debut Here Comes The Fuzz drawing upon the hip-hop culture he'd immersed himself in since his teens. But it was as a producer where Ronson's career flourished, most notably in 2006 when he helped guide Amy Winehouse to Grammy-winning success with the iconic Back To Black. Adele's 19, Lily Allen's Alright, Still and Bruno Mars' Unorthodox Jukebox were just some of the other multi-million sellers which benefitted from his magic touch. Ronson stepped back out into the spotlight in 2007 with the inspired covers-heavy Version, and later showcased his skills as a singer on 2010's under-rated Record Collection. However, it was 2015's Uptown Special, and its inescapable Gap Band-esque lead single, "Uptown Funk," which saw Ronson attain the same status as his array of A-list collaborators.

Born in St. John's Wood, London in 1975 to a socialite mother and music manager father, Ronson moved to New York with the former at the age of nine following his parents' divorce, where he developed a love of music and in particular the sounds of Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys. During his time studying at New York University, Ronson began making a name for himself at the city's downtown hip-hop spots and by the end of the '90s, had become something of a celebrity favorite. Ronson then moved onto producing in 2001, helming tracks for Nikka Costa, Sean Paul and Jimmy Fallon, before landing a record deal of his own with Elektra Records a year later. In 2003, Ronson called upon the talents of Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Ghostface Killah and Mos Def for his hip-hop flavored debut album, Here Comes The Fuzz. Its Boney M-sampling lead single, "Ooh Wee," reached the Top 20 in his native U.K., but made little impression elsewhere, and just two weeks after its release, Ronson found himself dropped.

Ronson subsequently returned to life behind-the-scenes, contributing to records by Macy Gray, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Consequence, as well as founding his own label, Allido Records, where he signed rappers Saigon, Rhymfest and Wale. 2006 proved to be his breakthrough year as a producer when he not only worked on number one albums by Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera and Robbie Williams, but also teamed up with Amy Winehouse for the modern soul classic, Back To Black. The success of the latter earned Ronson a Producer of the Year Grammy, and inevitably heightened interest in his second solo project, 2007's Version. Featuring guest vocals from several of the artists he had previously worked with, the covers-heavy affair saw Ronson putting a Motown/Stax spin on several contemporary indie hits including Radiohead's "Just," Coldplay's "Got Put A Smile Upon Your Face," and perhaps most famously, The Zutons' "Valerie." The record peaked at No.2 in the UK, sold over a million copies and also helped to launch the career of previously unknown Australian soul singer, Daniel Merriweather, whose debut album, Love and War, Ronson also produced.

After adding Adele's 19, Kaiser Chiefs' Off With Their Heads and Nas' Untitled to his list of credits, as well as Can't Slow Down, the ninth album from his stepfather Mick Jones' outfit, Foreigner, Ronson returned to the solo fray with 2010's Record Collection. Composed of entirely original material, the star-studded LP boasted appearances from Q-Tip, Boy George and D'Angelo, and saw Ronson take to the mic for the first time. However, the album only sold a fraction of its predecessor, and Ronson largely kept away from the spotlight for the next four years, choosing instead to harness his talents on records by The Black Lips, Rufus Wainwright, Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars. Ronson's own collaboration with the latter, the glorious funk-pop pastiche "Uptown Funk," revived his solo career in spectacular fashion in 2014, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and propelling parent album, Uptown Special to number one in the U.K. Ronson resumed his behind the scenes role in 2016, co-producing Lady Gaga's fifth album, Joanne.