Easily the most interesting fact learned while researching the life of the celebrated DJ Mark Ronson is that he is not the son of the late rock guitarist Mick Ronson, who just happened to have a son named Mark, also born in 1975.
The reason for sharing this with readers is that the “real” Ronson (for our purposes, anyway) just sold his house in the Amagansett Dunes, via Douglas Elliman. On 0.17 acre, the 1,400-square-foot beach house has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a large living room with a wood-burning fireplace, an eat-in kitchen and an enclosed deck with sliding glass doors. There is an outdoor shower for rinsing off after strolling back from the ocean, which can be seen from the property, which had been listed for $1.45 million.
“Our” Mark Ronson, who has worked with some of the biggest acts in music, was born in London to a real estate speculator, Laurence Ronson, and Ann Dexter. He wound up in New York with his twin sisters, Charlotte and Samantha, after his parents divorced and his mother married Mick Jones, leader of the band Foreigner. Now hang on a bit: Mick and Ann Dexter Jones lived for many years in Amagansett, then divorced. However, presumably they are back because they recently remarried. Mark Ronson also has in his clan five step-siblings: three from his father’s marriage to the model Michele First, and two via Mick and Ann.
Back to Mark’s music. Being associated with one of the world’s most famous rock bands didn’t hurt, nor did being childhood friends with Sean Lennon. While attending New York University, Mr. Ronson began hanging around downtown clubs and soon found paying gigs as a DJ. By 1999, he was appearing in fashion ads for Tommy Hilfiger jeans. He produced music for the campaign and that led to his debut album, “Here Comes the Fuzz,” released in 2003, for which Mr. Ronson wrote all the music and played guitar and keyboards.
His career took off after that. He produced songs for Macy Gray, Christina Aguilera, Adele, and Amy Winehouse, and produced the latter’s breakthrough album, “Back to Black.” Along the way, Mr. Ronson has earned Grammy Awards for producing and songwriting. His biggest success came in 2014, when he collaborated with Bruno Mars on the song “Uptown Funk,” which became the No. 1 single in the United States and Great Britain. During the next two years, the music video of “Uptown Funk” amassed more than 2 billion views on YouTube, and it remains the most danced-to tune in the 27east.com newsroom.