The Best of Funk Music: Mark Ronson
Contents
Looking for some new music to get into? Check out our blog post on the best of funk music, courtesy of Mark Ronson. From classic tracks to modern hits, there’s something for everyone in this genre.
Introduction
Funk is a type of music that originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is defined by a groove-oriented, rhythmically interactive style that often features syncopated bass lines, polyrhythmic drumming, and enlarged horn sections playing improvised countermelodies. The genre is often associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, as well as James Brown and Bootsy Collins.
Funk music has been instrumental in the development of other genres, including hip hop, disco, and electronic dance music. Over the past few decades, there have been a number of funk revivalists who have brought the sound back to prominence.
One of the most prominent funk revivalists is British producer Mark Ronson. Ronson is best known for his work in the hip hop and pop genres, but he has also worked extensively in funk. His 2013 album Uptown Special was heavily influenced by 1970s soul and funk music, and it featured performances from a number of high-profile guests including Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and Mystikal.
Ronson’s album was widely acclaimed by critics and it charted well internationally. In the United States, it reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The lead single “Uptown Funk” was an enormous success, spending seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song won two Grammy Awards: Best Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
If you’re a fan of funk music or you’re just looking to hear something different, check out Mark Ronson’s Uptown Special. It’s one of the best funk albums in recent memory.
The Early Years
Mark Ronson was born on September 4, 1975, in London, England. His mother, Ann Dexter-Jones, was a rock and roll groupie who later became a socialite, and his father, Laurence Ronson, was a property developer and music manager. He has five siblings, including Charlotte Ronson, a fashion designer. Ronson was educated at the prestigious Buckhurst Hill County High School in Essex. He began playing guitar at the age of 13 and soon started a band with some of his schoolmates.
Ronson’s Family and Early Life
Mark Ronson was born on September 4, 1975, in London, England. He is the son of journalist Ann Roth and real estate mogul Laurence “Larry” Ronson. His mother is of English-Jewish descent and his father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. He has three sisters: Charlotte, Samantha, and Natasha. His maternal grandfather, Theodore Nero Roth, was a philanthropist who owned the Gateways Club, a members-only nightclub in London during the 1960s and 1970s. Ronson’s father died when he was four years old; his stepfather, Mick Jones of Foreigner, subsequently married his mother.
Ronson attended high school at the private Collegiate School in Manhattan. He graduated in 1993 with a degree in anthropology from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Ronson’s First musical Experiences
Mark Ronson was born in London, England, in 1975. His father, Laurence Ronson, was a real-estate agent and music manager, and his mother, Ann Dexter-Jones, was an acclaimed socialite and magazine editor. He has three siblings: sisters Charlotte Ronson, a fashion designer, and Samantha Ronson, a DJsinger-songwriter; and brother Alexander Dexter-Jones, also a DJ. Both of his parents were Jewish (of Ashkenazi descent), and he had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.
Ronson was educated at the prestigious private schools Beit Shiskin in England and Vassar College in New York. He then transferred to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he majored in film production.
Ronson’s first musical experience came at the age of eight when he played the drums in his father’s band at weddings and bar mitzvahs. He later recalled: “I remember thinking at the time,’This is great. I get to play with all these grown-ups and hear all this cool music.'” When he was ten years old, his parents divorced amicably, and he continued living with his mother on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Ronson’s Career
Mark Ronson is a British musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer. He has won multiple Grammy Awards and is best known for his work with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Adele. Ronson’s musical style is a combination of soul, R&B, hip hop, and disco. He has released four solo albums and has been a member of the funk-rock band Duran Duran Illuminated and the hip hop group The State of Grace.
Ronson’s Early Career
Mark Ronson began his career as a DJ and music producer in the early 1990s. He gained recognition for his work with artists like All Saints and Robbie Williams. In 1999, he released his debut album, Here Comes the Fuzz. The album was not a commercial success, but it did receive critical acclaim. Ronson’s career took off in the early 2000s, when he began working with artists like Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. He achieved worldwide fame with his 2007 album version, which won him a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Ronson has since gone on to produce and collaborate with a wide range of artists, including Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, and Adele.
Ronson’s Mainstream Success
Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is an English musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer. Although his debut album Here Comes the Fuzz (2003) failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album Version (2007) reached number two in the UK and included three top 10 singles. This success won him a Brit Award for Best Male Solo Artist in 2008. His next three albums—Record Collection (2010), Uptown Special (2015), and Late Night Feelings (2019)—all topped the UK charts. In 2014, Billboard magazine ranked Ronson the 14th-best-selling artist of the year.
Ronson has worked with various artists including Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Lily Allen, Robbie Williams, Queens of the Stone Age, Bruno Mars and Paul McCartney. He has received five Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Winehouse’s album Back to Black and securing Record of the Year for “Uptown Funk”. In 2020 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music.
Ronson’s Music
Ronson’s Early Music
Ronson’s first album in four years, Uptown Special, was released in January 2015. Ronson produced “Uptown Funk” with Jeff Bhasker, and the track featured guest vocals from American singer Bruno Mars. The track reached number one in the United States and United Kingdom, becoming Ronson’s second UK number-one single as a solo artist after “Stop Me” in 2007, and his fourth overall including his work with The Business Intl. “Uptown Funk” won two Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Ronson’s Mainstream Music
Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is an English musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Queens of the Stone Age, Robbie Williams and Bruno Mars. He has received Grammy Awards for Record of the Year for “Uptown Funk” (as producer and co-writer) and Best Pop Vocal Album for Version.
After graduating from NYU in 1998, Ronson became a regular DJ at downtown NYC nightclubs such as The Living Room and Moomba. He soon began producing music for other artists as well as forming his own band calledmark ronson & the business intl., whose debut album Record Collection was released in 2010 to critical acclaim. While its singles “Bang Bang Bang” and “Somebody to Love Me” were top ten hits in various countries, the album’s failure to achieve comparable commercial success led to the band’s disbandment in 2011.
In 2015, Ronson released Uptown Special, which peaked at number two in the UK and number one on the US Billboard 200. The album’s lead single “Uptown Funk”, featuring Bruno Mars, spent 14 consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the longest-running single of the 2010s. Its success saw Ronson nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2016; he won four of these awards including Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), Best Pop Vocal Album and Record of the Year for “Uptown Funk”.
Conclusion
Mark Ronson’s The Best of Funk Music is a great album for fans of the genre. There are some great tracks on here, and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s definitely worth a listen.
