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Harvey Mason Jr.

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Harvey Jay Mason Jr. (born June 3, 1968) is an American record producer, songwriter and film producer who has served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Recording Academy since 2021.[1] From both his solo work and as part of the production duo the Underdogs, he has been credited on releases for artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, and Stevie Wonder, among others.[2]

Harvey Mason Jr.
Mason in 2009
Mason in 2009
Background information
Birth nameHarvey Jay Mason Jr.
Born (1968-06-03) June 3, 1968 (age 56)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
  • film producer
Years active1976–present
Formerly ofThe Underdogs
Spouse
Britt Burton
​
(m. 2020)​
Children2
FatherHarvey Mason
Websiteharveymasonmedia.com

Early life

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Mason was born in June 3,1968 in Boston, Massachusetts to Harvey Mason Sr., a jazz drummer and Sally Mason, both of whom attended Boston's Berklee College of Music.[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 University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship from 1986 to 1990 and playing in the 1988 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 Rodney Jerkins. The track was produced for Brandy's 1998 album "Never Say Never".[7] Mason Jr. then worked with Jerkins over the next three years on projects including "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child, "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" by Whitney Houston, and "He Wasn't Man Enough" by Toni Braxton. He also worked on the album Invincible by Michael Jackson.[8]

Early career

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In 2000, Mason Jr. co-wrote the track "I Like Them Girls" with Damon Thomas for Tyrese's album 2000 Watts.[9] The success of the song led to a partnership and the formation of Underdog Entertainment. The Underdogs produced R&B and pop hits such "How You Gonna Act Like That" also by the singer, as well as "Gots Ta Be" by B2K, "O" by Omarion, "More To Life" by Stacie Orrico, "Sorry 2004" by Ruben Studdard, and "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.[10] In 2001, he collaborated with British designer and former member of the Spice Girls Victoria Beckham on her self-titled debut album.[11] In 2004, The Underdogs signed a record deal with BMG under Clive Davis[12] and created Underdog Music Publishing, a joint venture with Rondor/ Universal Music.[13]

In 2006, the Underdogs produced the soundtrack to the film Dreamgirls, which won the Critic's Choice Award in 2007 for Best Movie Soundtrack.[14] After a three-year hiatus, the Underdogs reunited in 2011 to produce the song "Up 2 You" for Chris Brown's album F.A.M.E.. The Underdogs wrote and produced the song "The Living Proof", performed by Mary J. Blige for the film "The Help". The duo then produced Brown's single "Turn Up the Music", from his album Fortune. In 2012, the Underdogs produced the vocals for the film Pitch Perfect, starring Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow.[15] In 2014, he produced South Korean girl group Girls' Generation's single "Mr. Mr." and their labelmate Exo's single "Overdose",[16] as well as the music for the James Brown biopic Get on Up. In 2015, the Underdogs produced the music for the sequel to the moderately successful Pitch Perfect film, as well as Pitch Perfect 2 and the highly-acclaimed Straight Outta Compton.

Career

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Mason formed his namesake media company in 2008. It encompasses his film and record productions, music publishing, and website ventures. Record productions include the 2008 releases of Chris Brown's "Superhuman" (from his album Exclusive), Britney Spears' "Mannequin" (from her album Circus)[17] and Jennifer Hudson's "You Pulled Me Through" (from her self-titled debut album). Alongside Tricky Stewart and Stargate, respectively, Mason produced the title track and a cover of "Song for You" for Whitney Houston's 2009 album, I Look to You.[18] In 2010, Mason produced the cover version of "One Shining Moment" featuring Jennifer Hudson for CBS Sports' Final Four.[19] Mason produced and served as A&R on Toni Braxton's Pulse. In 2011, Mason produced the single "Where You At" along with R. Kelly for Jennifer Hudson's album I Remember Me.

Harvey Mason Media produced its first feature film, the LeBron James biopic More than a Game in 2008.[20][21][22] The film documents the rise of James and his high school teammates, from their early AAU basketball days to the high school national championship stage. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008, where it won first runner-up to best film, Slumdog Millionaire.[23] Lions Gate Films distributed the film, which was released in September 2008.[24] Harvey Mason Media, in tandem with Polow da Don's Zone 4 and Interscope Records, produced the accompanying soundtrack album, Music Inspired by More Than a Game, which was supported by Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem's collaborative single, "Forever". The film was also nominated for Best Documentary at the 2010 NAACP Image Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.[25]

Mason appeared on the 2011 season of American Idol as a mentor/producer, working with Pia Toscano and Jacob Lusk, and did so for the 2013 season of The X Factor USA. He has also made numerous appearances on the reality series Braxton Family Values on the We TV network, which starred his collaborators Toni and Tamar Braxton.

In 2012, Mason was the last producer to work with Whitney Houston on her songs "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and "Celebrate", both for the film Sparkle.

Following the success of Pitch Perfect 2, Get On Up, and Straight Outta Compton, Harvey served as music producer for the NBC broadcast of The Wiz Live!, which aired on December 3, 2015. He also produced over 50 songs for the animated musical SING by Universal/Illumination Entertainment, which was released on December 3, 2016. The film received two Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for the song "Faith", produced by Mason and performed by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande.[26]

In 2017, Mason served as executive musical producer for Pitch Perfect 3 – the final installment of the Universal Pictures series, as well as the musical reworking of the 1980s classic Valley Girl for MGM, and USA Network's Unsolved, a scripted true crime series based on the murder investigations of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.. Furthermore, Mason also helmed a sinilar role, as well as composer on Anthony Mandler's feature debut Monster which was nominated for the 2018 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.[27]

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

Mason Jr. produced the music for NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!, which aired on April 1, 2018,[29] as well as Bad Times at the El Royale for 20th Century Fox, directed by Drew Goddard.[30] In 2023, Mason produced MGM biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin.

Recording Academy

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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

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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

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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

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Mason Jr. played basketball throughout high school and college. As a guard on the Crescenta Valley High School team in La Crescenta, California he was selected to the All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) team in 1984, 1985 and 1986. He received a full-scholarship to the University of Arizona and played for Hall of Fame coach, Lute Olson. Mason Jr.'s teams won the Pac-10 title in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and played in 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

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References

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  1. ^ "Harvey Mason jr. becomes official CEO of Recording Academy". AP News. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  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. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010.
  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.
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Cultural offices
Preceded by President of The Recording Academy
2020–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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