Lenny Waronker came by his role behind the scenes in the music business honestly — it was in his DNA.

The celebrated record executive — who’s receiving this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ahmet Ertegun Award — grew up in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades, where his father Simon, transitioned from playing violin in the 20th Century Fox Orchestra to a contractor, then founded Liberty Records in 1955.

“I was exposed to music at a very young age,” remembers Waronker, who spent summers at Liberty while attending the USC Thornton School of Music and joined the company full time after graduating. He also worked for the label’s publishing division, Metric Music, where he produced song demos.

“The door really opened when my father started (Liberty),” he says. “I grew up watching a record company b

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