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Ron Fair is a 34 year major-label record company veteran. He is an accomplished producer, arranger, recording engineer, musical director and A&R Executive. Ron Fair currently holds the position of Chief Creative Officer / Executive Vice President – Virgin Records America – a division of the Capitol/Universal Music Group. Over the past decade, Fair served as Chairman, Geffen Records, and President, A&M Records- divisions of the Interscope / Geffen / A&M-Universal Music Group. Ron Fair’s recordings have won six Grammy awards and have been nominated for Grammys 21 times. Now in his first year running the re-vamped Virgin Records (based at the storied Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood) is Fair overseeing the breakthrough of UK band Bastille, currently at number 3-Hot 100 with over 2 million single sales/downloads and a rapidly-approaching-gold album. Virgin’s first year will see debut albums released by hit-songwriter Priscilla; pop-girl-group The Rosso Sisters; alternative band Grizfolk, R&B star Mike Jay, plus the return of Corrinne Bailey Rae. Fair is noted for discovering and shepherding Christina Aguilera to ten number-one singles, over 50 million worldwide album sales and numerous Grammy awards. Fair championed the Black Eyed Peas to 27 million albums, 4 number-one singles and multiple-Grammy-wins. He oversaw and produced the Pussycat Dolls on their seven-million-selling Grammy-nominated debut album, yielding five international number-one singles. Previously as an A&R Executive at RCA Records, Fair discovered and signed Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson in the girl-trio Wild Orchid. He later re-signed Fergie, where under his direction she joined the Black Eyed Peas, leading to her 5-million-selling Grammy-nominated solo album “The Duchess,” yielding three number-1 singles including “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Fair was co-producer of Mary J. Blige’s #1 hit “Be Without You” – its 18 weeks at number-one set the record as the longest-running number one R&B hit in Billboard’s history; winning three Grammys, and achieving over 3 million album sales. He co-produced “Lady Marmalade” (Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya, Lil’ Kim) the international number-one from “Moulin Rouge” selling over 3 million copies. He brought England’s superstar band Snow Patrol to the US, selling a million-plus on the number-1 hit “Chasing Cars.” He discovered, developed and produced Grammy nominee and triple-platinum vocalist Keyshia Cole – yielding nine number-one R&B hits. He guided Vanessa Carlton to a double-platinum Grammy-nominated debut album- producing and arranging her number-1 hit “A Thousand Miles.” He was executive producer of the 8-million-selling soundtrack “Pretty Woman” and the 5-million-selling soundtrack “Reality Bites.” He produced two contemporary jazz albums for superstar Queen Latifah, selling a million copies combined. Ron’s was responsible for the worldwide million-selling success of Il Volo – the trio of award-winning teen-aged Italian operatic tenors. Ron Fair is the recipient of the MMF’s British Music Roll of Honour, an award presented for contributions made to the British music industry as an American. Among the successful acts Ron Fair has produced, A&R’d and worked with in England are: GO WEST, JULIAN COPE, ASWAD, NICOLE SCHERZINGER, WHITE LIES, KATE NASH, SNOW PATROL, ELBOW and U2. Aside from his duties as an executive and producer, Fair is well-known for his searing orchestral string arrangements that have appeared on hits by The Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, Fergie as well as his powerful vocal arrangements. He has served as musical director and performed on numerous television shows including the Grammys, The Latin Grammys; The BET Awards, Saturday Night Live, American Idol; The Voice; Home for the Holidays & Christmas in Washington. The Faircraft Records label is affiliated with Universal Republic Records. Faircraft’s first release is the debut album and Wal-Mart Exclusive Christmas EP for “Voice” finalist Chris Mann. Ron Fair was born and raised in Los Angeles. He met his mentor, Oscar-winning composer Bill Conti, while engineering a recording session in Los Angeles in 1976. As Bill Conti’s assistant, Fair earned his first gold record – the recording and mixing of the original soundtrack to the classic film “ROCKY.” Prior to running Virgin Records, Fair was Chairman of Geffen Records for 5 years, President of A&M Records for five years, and held senior A & R positions at RCA Records, Chrysalis Records, EMI Records, and Island Records-London. He lives in Brentwood with his songwriter-producer wife Stefanie. They have four children. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, plays jazz piano and vibraphone; loves gardening, cooking, swimming, and dressing elegantly. |
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Exploring Passion and Success in the Music Industry:
"So here I am at this age and this stage and having, you know, 45 years in major labels and now as an indie,
still doing the same thing, which is believing in artists and the preposterous scenario that,
you know, we're gonna take some unknown thing and make it the biggest thing in the world."
- Ron Fair
LISTEN:
LISTEN: A&R in the Modern Age - Ron Fair Former A&R Interscope Records
[Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, Keyshia Cole, Vanessa Carlton][MIP062]
TRANSCRIPT | SHOW NOTES
Books & Media Mentioned:
📒 Sonic Boom: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records [Mo Ostin] - https://amzn.to/4dbzOwh
📒 LA Reid - Sing to Me - https://amzn.to/3Wk26yt
📒 The Islander [Chris Blackwell] - https://amzn.to/3Wgc1VJ
📒 The Soundtrack of My Life [Clive Davis] - https://amzn.to/4bcmuWy
🎧 Get Audible Free - Your favorite titles anywhere you go. Enjoy a free trial on us! - https://amzn.to/3RB2nu4
