Lenny Waronker is celebrated for his artist-first philosophy and transformative leadership. As head of A&R and later president at Warner Bros., he championed creative freedom for artists, forging an environment where musicians could innovate free from the confines of commercial pressure. Alongside his mentor and Rock Hall Inductee Mo Ostin, he turned Warner Bros. into a juggernaut, but also a haven where musicians felt trusted, empowered, and true to themselves.

Waronker got the music bug at an early age. When he was 13, his father, Simon, formed Liberty Records. While in college, Waronker worked in the A&R department at Liberty, eventually producing song demos for the label. “I realized how important it was to get the song right – and get the vision of the songwriter right,” remembers Waronker. Those demos led to an A&R job at Warner Bros., where he would soon produce a pair of hit singles – the Mojo Men’s “Sit Down, I Think I Love You” and Harpers Bizarre’s “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).” In 1970, Waronker became head of A&R at Warner Bros. Over the course of the next decade, he produced numerous acclaimed albums, including groundbreaking debuts by Ry Cooder, Rickie Lee Jones, Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, and Van Dyke Parks. His production of the Everly Brothers autobiographical album Roots (1968) contributed to the growing country-rock movement.

In 1982, Waronker was appointed president of Warner Bros., ushering in a seismic sea change for the music industry – a label president who came right from the studio. Ostin recalls, “It was a very important statement. It was clearly an effort on our part to say that this is a company that is about music.” Under the dual leadership of Ostin and Waronker, Warner Bros. thrived, becoming one of the most successful record companies in the world. In 1996, Waronker cofounded DreamWorks Records, where he would launch the careers of Nelly Furtado, Elliott Smith, and Rufus Wainwright. Through it all, Waronker remained steadfast in his belief in artistry and quality: “I have always been dedicated to quality and understanding the artist and the artistic vision,” he has said. “Those really are the most important issues, as opposed to sales.”

Lenny Waronker gave artists a home, nurtured their sound, and redefined leadership within the music industry. His records redefined genres and outlasted trends. He was a visionary producer, a trusted tastemaker, and a champion of artistry. “I’m not your typical record executive. I think that’s one of the reasons it works.”