With a career spanning more than 40 years, during which he shaped many of contemporary music’s most brilliant and enduring recordings, Arif Mardin may be counted among the most important record producers of the 20th century. From The Young Rascals" 1965 hit "Good Lovin’" to Bette Midler’s 1989 "Record of the Year," "Wind Beneath My Wings," to his debut Grammy-winning album for Norah Jones, his work continues to inspire and transcend genre. Working with artists such as: Average White Band, the Bee Gees, Judy Collins, Phil Collins, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, Donny Hathaway, Jewel, Chaka Khan, Melissa Manchester, Modern Jazz Quartet, Willie Nelson, John Prine, Carly Simon, Dusty Springfield and Barbra Streisand, Arif Mardin has garnered close to 60 gold and platinum albums, more than 15 Grammy nominations and 12 Grammy awards.

Born in 1932 in Istanbul, Turkey, Arif first pursued a career in Economics, graduating from Istanbul University and continuing at the London School of Economics. At age 24, already composing and indulging his love of jazz, the young Mardin had a meeting with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones that led to his distinction as the first recipient of the Quincy Jones Scholarship at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and set his course for a career in music. In 1958, Arif and his wife Latife left Istanbul for Boston. After graduating and teaching for one year at Berklee, Mardin moved to New York, where he began his career with Atlantic Records.

Starting in 1963 as an assistant to Atlantic’s legendary founder, Nesuhi Ertegun, Mardin quickly advanced to manager, label house producer and then arranger. In 1969, he became a vice president and served as senior vice president until May 2001. Over the years, Mardin worked closely on many projects with founder Ahmet Ertegun and renowned producer Jerry Wexler, known for establishing the "Atlantic Sound." Mardin’s collaborations with the Bee Gees led to the smash hit "Jive Talkin’." His chart-toppers also include the singles "Pick Up The Pieces" by Average White Band, Phil Collins’ "Against All Odds" and "Separate Lives" (with Marilyn Martin), and "I Feel For You" by Chaka Khan. Besides producing hits for top recording artists, Mardin is credited with a variety of movie and Broadway soundtracks including the ABC-TV movie, Gypsy, the original Broadway cast album of Smokey Joe’s Café,The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, the original Broadway cast recording of Rent, and many more.

In September 2001, in an arrangement with EMI Recorded Music North America, Mardin began serving as a vice-president and general manager of the re-instituted Manhattan Records label. Here he produced Norah Jones' multi-platinum album, Come Away With Me, for Blue Note, EMI. Other projects for the Manhattan label were Melissa Errico's first album, Blue Like That, Diane Reeves’ A Little Moonlight, which won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2003, and the recent debut album of Manhattan vocalist and guitar player, Raul Midon, co-produced with son Joe Mardin.

Arif Mardin has been awarded numerous honors by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, including induction into its Hall of Fame for popular recordings, and its Trustees Award. His contributions to charitable and peace-promoting causes have also brought honors from a variety of humanitarian organizations including "Man of the Year" by the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, and a special award from the Peace Meditation Group of the United Nations. Mardin has been married for 48 years to Latife, who is a writer. Their son, Joe is also a music producer, their daughter Julie, an artist-photographer.