Biography
Serving for years as a producer and arranger on staff at Atlantic Records, the adaptable Arif Mardin shaped numerous landmark pop and jazz releases from his period, reaching perhaps his peak achievements through his partnership with Aretha Franklin. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 15, 1932, Mardin attended Istanbul University and the London School of Economics while treating music as an avocation. In 1956 he encountered Dizzy Gillespie during the trumpeter’s visit to Turkey, an experience that prompted him to pursue music professionally. He earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, completed his studies there in 1961, and joined Atlantic two years later as an assistant to Nesuhi Ertegun. He advanced to studio manager and subsequently took on duties as a house producer and arranger. His initial production efforts centered on jazz projects featuring Sonny Stitt, Freddie Hubbard, Mose Allison, and Eddie Harris, yet his profile rose sharply after Franklin joined the label roster in 1967. Working alongside producer Jerry Wexler and engineer Tom Dowd, Mardin arranged Franklin’s breakthrough 1967 album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and its signature single “Respect”; the same team followed with the landmark Lady Soul the next year.
Mardin sustained an extended collaboration with the Rascals, guiding enduring successes such as “Good Lovin’” and “Groovin’” and earning recognition as the ensemble’s unofficial fifth member. In 1969 he contributed to Dusty Springfield’s classic Dusty in Memphis while assuming the role of Atlantic vice president; a year later he produced Laura Nyro’s Christmas and the Beads of Sweat and issued his own debut album, Glass Onion. His work with Franklin persisted through distinguished releases including Spirit in the Dark, Young, Gifted & Black, and Amazing Grace. In 1971 he turned to helm the well-received self-titled debut from folk artist John Prine. He subsequently handled projects for a wide array of newer Atlantic artists such as Hall & Oates, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Willie Nelson, and Doug Sahm.
During 1974 Mardin traveled to Miami to produce the Bee Gees, then seeking to restore their late-’60s commercial standing. At the direction of manager Robert Stigwood he reshaped the group’s approach to incorporate American R&B elements; although Mr. Natural failed to register, the 1975 follow-up Main Course helped launch the mainstream ascent of disco and yielded the number-one single “Jive Talkin’.” His affinity for blue-eyed funk surfaced simultaneously in productions for the Average White Band, notably the chart-topping “Pick Up the Pieces.” Further albums with Rod Stewart, George Benson, and Carly Simon appeared, and in 1980 he launched a sustained association with Chaka Khan that delivered her major hit “I Feel for You.” Though his activity diminished afterward, he still collaborated with prominent younger acts such as Culture Club and Howard Jones while revisiting projects with the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, and Roberta Flack. Sessions with Phil Collins on Face Value and No Jacket Required generated some of his strongest commercial results of the ’80s, and he aided Bette Midler’s return to the top with “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
Mardin stayed active through the ’90s, most frequently with solo female performers including Midler, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, and Jewel. He also oversaw the original Broadway cast albums for the successful musicals Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller in 1996 and Rent in 1997. In May 2001, after receiving multiple honors for his long career and substantial contributions (including 12 Grammys), he stepped down as Atlantic’s senior vice president. He soon affiliated with Manhattan/EMI in various roles, foremost among them scouting and producing new adult-oriented artists. His first notable achievement there came with jazz-inflected singer/songwriter Norah Jones, whose Blue Note debut Come Away with Me reached the top of the pop charts in early 2003.
Early in 2005 Mardin received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and commenced work on a final album intended to encapsulate his career while presenting several previously unheard compositions. The project stood nearly finished at his death on June 26, 2006. His son, co-producer, and longtime associate Joe Mardin completed the recording. Released in 2010 under the title All My Friends Are Here, the album gathers jazz and pop pieces spanning the elder Mardin’s lifetime, performed by a core ensemble and an array of guests that includes Hall & Oates, Chaka Khan, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Carly Simon, David Sanborn, Jon Faddis, Bette Midler, and Dr. John. It appeared together with the session documentary DVD The Greatest Ears in Town, co-directed by Joe Mardin and Doug Biro.
Mardin sustained an extended collaboration with the Rascals, guiding enduring successes such as “Good Lovin’” and “Groovin’” and earning recognition as the ensemble’s unofficial fifth member. In 1969 he contributed to Dusty Springfield’s classic Dusty in Memphis while assuming the role of Atlantic vice president; a year later he produced Laura Nyro’s Christmas and the Beads of Sweat and issued his own debut album, Glass Onion. His work with Franklin persisted through distinguished releases including Spirit in the Dark, Young, Gifted & Black, and Amazing Grace. In 1971 he turned to helm the well-received self-titled debut from folk artist John Prine. He subsequently handled projects for a wide array of newer Atlantic artists such as Hall & Oates, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Willie Nelson, and Doug Sahm.
During 1974 Mardin traveled to Miami to produce the Bee Gees, then seeking to restore their late-’60s commercial standing. At the direction of manager Robert Stigwood he reshaped the group’s approach to incorporate American R&B elements; although Mr. Natural failed to register, the 1975 follow-up Main Course helped launch the mainstream ascent of disco and yielded the number-one single “Jive Talkin’.” His affinity for blue-eyed funk surfaced simultaneously in productions for the Average White Band, notably the chart-topping “Pick Up the Pieces.” Further albums with Rod Stewart, George Benson, and Carly Simon appeared, and in 1980 he launched a sustained association with Chaka Khan that delivered her major hit “I Feel for You.” Though his activity diminished afterward, he still collaborated with prominent younger acts such as Culture Club and Howard Jones while revisiting projects with the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, and Roberta Flack. Sessions with Phil Collins on Face Value and No Jacket Required generated some of his strongest commercial results of the ’80s, and he aided Bette Midler’s return to the top with “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
Mardin stayed active through the ’90s, most frequently with solo female performers including Midler, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, and Jewel. He also oversaw the original Broadway cast albums for the successful musicals Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller in 1996 and Rent in 1997. In May 2001, after receiving multiple honors for his long career and substantial contributions (including 12 Grammys), he stepped down as Atlantic’s senior vice president. He soon affiliated with Manhattan/EMI in various roles, foremost among them scouting and producing new adult-oriented artists. His first notable achievement there came with jazz-inflected singer/songwriter Norah Jones, whose Blue Note debut Come Away with Me reached the top of the pop charts in early 2003.
Early in 2005 Mardin received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and commenced work on a final album intended to encapsulate his career while presenting several previously unheard compositions. The project stood nearly finished at his death on June 26, 2006. His son, co-producer, and longtime associate Joe Mardin completed the recording. Released in 2010 under the title All My Friends Are Here, the album gathers jazz and pop pieces spanning the elder Mardin’s lifetime, performed by a core ensemble and an array of guests that includes Hall & Oates, Chaka Khan, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Carly Simon, David Sanborn, Jon Faddis, Bette Midler, and Dr. John. It appeared together with the session documentary DVD The Greatest Ears in Town, co-directed by Joe Mardin and Doug Biro.
Albums
