Harvey Mason Jr.

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Harvey Mason Jr.
Birth nameHarvey Jay Mason Jr.
Born (1968-06-03) June 3, 1968 (age 55)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California
Genres
Occupation(s)Record producer, songwriter, movie producer
CEO of The Recording Academy
Years active1976–present
Websiteharveymasonmedia.com

Harvey Jay Mason Jr. (born June 3, 1968) is an American record producer, songwriter, film producer, and current CEO of

Chris Brown. In addition, he has produced music for television and films, including Dreamgirls (with Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson), Sparkle (with Whitney Houston), Pitch Perfect (with Hailee Steinfeld and Anna Kendrick), Sing (with Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Tori Kelly), Straight Outta Compton (with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube), and The Wiz Live! (with Mary J. Blige and Neyo). He was elected as the chairman of The Recording Academy in June 2019, became its interim president and CEO on January 16, 2020, and then assumed the permanent role of CEO on May 13, 2021.[1][2] He also played college basketball with several post season appearances, including appearing with the 1987–88 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team in the 1988 Men's Final Four
.

Biography

Mason was born in June 3,1968 in

Harvey Mason Sr., a jazz drummer and Sally Mason, who both attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston.[3] As a child, Harvey moved with his family to Los Angeles and followed his father to many recording sessions with such greats as Quincy Jones, the Brothers Johnson and Herbie Hancock. Mason Jr. penned his first song at the age of eight for Grover Washington Jr. titled "Love Makes It Better".[4][5]

After attending the

Final Four, he began working as a songwriter/record producer. Some early work included tracks for British pop artist Michelle Gayle's album "Sensational" in 1997 and the jazz/soul duo Imprompt2. He co-produced the jazz album "Ratamacue" with his father in 1997. He also worked with Mason Sr.'s group Fourplay, In 1998 he produced the track called "Sexual Healing" featuring El DeBarge in 1998.[6]

In 1997, Mason Jr. also penned the track "Truthfully" which caught the attention of record producer

Career

In 2000, Mason Jr. co-wrote the track "

Straight Outta Compton" about the rap group N.W.A
.

Harvey Mason Media

Mason in 2009

Mason Jr. formed his independent company Harvey Mason Media in 2008. It encompasses his film and record productions, music publishing, and website ventures. Record productions include the 2008 releases of

Final Four.[19] Mason Jr. produced and worked as A&R on Toni Braxton's Pulse. In 2011, Mason Jr. produced the first single "Where You At" along with R. Kelly for Jennifer Hudson's album "I Remember Me
"

Harvey Mason Media produced the feature film

Mason Jr. appeared on the 2011 season of

We TV network starring Toni Braxton and Tamar Braxton
.

In 2012, Mason Jr. was the last producer to work with Whitney Houston when he produced the songs "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and "Celebrate" for the movie Sparkle.

Following the success of

Illumination Entertainment which was released on December 3, 2016. Sing received two Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for the song "Faith".[26]

In 2017, Mason Jr. served as executive music producer for

Monster which was nominated for the 2018 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.[27]

In March 2018, Billboard announced that Mason Jr. joined the advisory board of Tunedly, an online recording studio for songwriters.[28]

Mason Jr. produced the music for

20th Century Fox directed by Drew Goddard.[30] Most recently, Mason Jr. produced MGM biopic "Respect", starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin. At the time, he had six more projects in development at studios slated for 2023.[citation needed
]

Recording Academy

Harvey Mason Jr. is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of The Recording Academy, having assumed the role on May 13, 2021.[31][32]

Grammy Foundation

Mason Jr. was elected to the board of the directors for the Los Angeles chapter of

The Recording Academy (National Academy of Record Arts and Sciences) in 2007 and the National Board of Trustees in 2009. He has participated in Grammy Foundation events including Grammy in the Schools, Grammy Camp[33]
and the MusiCares Foundation. Mason Jr. is the Chairperson of the National Advocacy Committee and Executive Co-chair of the Producers and Engineers Wing.

Personal life

Mason married his wife, Britt Burton, in a private ceremony in 2020. Burton is known for her songwriting, and serves as creative director for Harvey Mason Media.

Mason has two children, his son Trey and his daughter Mia, who both live and work in Scottsdale, Arizona. Trey is a corporate counsel for Troon, and Mia is an associate marketing manager at QuidelOrtho.

Basketball

Mason Jr. played basketball throughout high school and college. As a guard on the

Final Four in 1988.[34] Notable teammates include Steve Kerr (Chicago Bulls), Jud Buechler (Chicago Bulls), Bison Dele (Chicago Bulls), Sean Elliott (San Antonio Spurs) and Kenny Lofton (Major League Baseball six time all-star).[35] Multiple knee surgeries sidelined Mason Jr.'s hope of a continuing basketball career. Mason Jr. serves on the National Leadership Council and the Board of Trustees for the University of Arizona
.

Songwriting and music production highlights

References

  1. ^ "Harvey Mason Jr. Becomes official CEO of Recording Academy". Associated Press. May 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Grammy Awards are undergoing sweeping changes with new Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr". San Diego Union-Tribune. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Harvey Mason, Playing 'With All My Heart'". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "Grover Washington, Jr. - discography - InfoEx". Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  5. ^ "Harvey Mason Jr. talks Recording Academy changes, industry's future". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Photo: Trevor Noah and Harvey Mason Jr. Arrive for the 64th Grammy Awards in Las Vegas - LAV20220403869". UPI. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  7. ^ [1][dead link]
  8. ^ Harvey, Steve (February 2, 2022). "The Incomparable Harvey Mason, Jr. – Mix Cover Story, Part 1". Mixonline. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "summary_0286".[dead link]
  10. ^ [2][dead link]
  11. ^ "Harvey Mason Jr". Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  12. ^ "dead link".[dead link]
  13. ^ "Producers the Underdogs Sign Joint Publishing Deal with Rondor Music". Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  14. ^ Keck, Will (March 14, 2007). "'Sunshine' wins big". USA Today.
  15. ^ "Behind The Scenes Of The Year's Best Soundtrack". Huffington Post. October 9, 2012.
  16. ^ "The Underdogs Talk EXO's 'Overdose,' Tease 'Game-Changing' K-Pop Records: Exclusive". Billboard. April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  17. ^ Blas, Lorena (August 13, 2008). "Now Britney's all about being a mom, making an album". USA Today.
  18. ^ Rodman, Sarah (September 30, 2008). "She is telling you she's here to stay". The Boston Globe.
  19. ^ Crowe, Jerry (March 28, 2010). "Harvey Mason's life after basketball has been note-perfect". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ "More Than a Game - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. October 2, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  21. ^ "Prime Video: More Than A Game". www.primevideo.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "Harvey Mason Jr. | Arizona Alumni". alumni.arizona.edu. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "Slumdog Millionaire wins at Toronto film fest".
  24. ^ [3][dead link]
  25. ^ "LeBron James' 'More Than a Game' nominated for indie Spirit Award". cleveland. Associated Press. December 1, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ "Harvey Mason Jr". IMDb. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  28. ^ "Executive Turntable: Moves at TuneIn & Coalition Agency, Additions to Tunedly Advisory Board". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  29. ^ "Jesus Christ Superstar Music Producer Says Star John Legend 'Knows the Show Inside and Out'".
  30. ^ Tenreyro, Tatiana (January 1, 2019). "Why All Of Darlene's Songs In 'Bad Times At The El Royale' Stuck With You After The Credits". Bustle. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  31. ^ "Harvey Mason Jr. Becomes official CEO of Recording Academy". Associated Press. May 13, 2021.
  32. ^ "The Grammys: What does a Songwriter Of The Year award mean for the industry?". www.prsformusic.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  33. ^ "Los Angeles Area Students To Attend Grammy Career Day Presented By Gibson Foundation On Feb. 7 At The University Of Southern California @ Top40-Charts.com – New Songs & Videos from 49 Top 20 & Top 40 Music Charts from 30 Countries". Top40-charts.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  34. ^ "Scout.com: Lute's Recruits: 1986". Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  35. ^ "The University of Arizona Alumni Association / Notable Alumni". Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2009.

External links

Cultural offices
Preceded by President of The Recording Academy
2020–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent