Mervyn Edwin Warren (born February 29, 1964) is an American film composer, record producer, conductor, arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist.

Warren has also produced for numerous jazz, pop, R&B, contemporary Christian, and gospel artists, typically arranging those recordings and often performing on them (on piano, keyboards, or vocals), and often writing or co-writing the melodies and lyrics.

Instead he listened to easy-listening, contemporary Christian, classical, choral music, the Mantovani Orchestra, Edwin Hawkins, and the Swingle Singers.

At fifteen, he enrolled in a summer program at Alabama A&M University for high school students who excelled at math and science.

Two years later he received a master's degree in arranging from the University of Alabama, having studied with Steve Sample Sr. At the age of five, Warren began playing the piano by ear, after being taught a few songs by his mother.

Though Warren had not previously considered doing so, the suggestion prompted him to begin composing original songs and lyrics which he taught to the vocal group and which they performed publicly.

This propensity was met with disdain by some of the more conservative members of the Oakwood community, resulting in an ongoing struggle between figures of authority and Warren.

Soon, Warren became a regular session-performer at Sound Cell, contributing to arrangements, playing keyboards, and singing on the radio and TV while performing pop, rock, country, and contemporary Christian recordings.

Many of those sessions included Warren's friend Mark Kibble, also an accomplished arranger, pianist, and vocalist (and future member of Take 6).

As early as the age of 13, Warren and Kibble had performed concerts together, singing solos and duets, while taking turns providing accompaniment at the piano.

In 1980, while both juniors in high school, Warren and Kibble joined a preexisting, male a cappella vocal quartet, at Oakwood University.

In 1981, Warren enrolled at Oakwood University and joined the highly regarded touring choir The Aeolians, under the direction of Professor Alma Blackmon.

Warren remained a member of The Aeolians throughout his four-year matriculation, later becoming the ensemble's stage director, assistant conductor, and alternate accompanist.

With The Aeolians, Warren toured extensively throughout the United States, Bermuda, The Bahamas, The Virgin Islands, England, Scotland, and Wales.

In 1985, Warren composed an upbeat choral piece entitled "I Ain't Got Long To Be Here" in the style of a negro spiritual.

However, because of The Aeolians' rigorous rehearsal and touring schedule, conductor Alma Blackmon had instituted a rule that no members of the ensemble could participate in extracurricular groups larger than a quartet.

The group's core members consisted of Joya Foster, Lori Bryan, Mark Kibble, and Claude V. McKnight, III.

Like Alliance, A Special Blend became well-known and popular for its unique style which combined vocal jazz with contemporary Christian lyrics.

Despite Oakwood University's rich tradition of vocal groups, Nowhere But Up was the first student album to feature a full rhythm section plus orchestration including a string ensemble, a big band, a pop horn section, synthesizers, and exotic percussion, all of which Warren arranged, though he had no formal training in orchestral writing.

A Special Blend often joined Warren at Sound Cell Studio to sing jingles or commercials or even provide background vocals for other artists' recordings.

The group also performed background vocals on stage for recording artist Bob Bailey, during his live concert at Oakwood.

In 1985, during a trip to California, A Special Blend performed at gospel-music legend Walter Hawkins' Love Center in Oakland.

Some months later, while completing his master's degree at the University of Alabama, Warren received a surprise phone call from Janis Siegel of the Manhattan Transfer asking if he had heard from the Recording Academy.

In addition to performing with the group and contributing to their vocal arrangements, Warren is the featured voice on "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)", and he penned the lyrics for "The Verb To Be (Introduction to Wee B.

Warren produced the recording and co-wrote "Don't Shoot Me" with Lee and with group-members Claude V. McKnight, III and David Thomas.

Other notable Take 6 collaborations include recordings with Johnny Mathis, Stephanie Mills, Melba Moore, Joe Sample, Dino Kartsonakis, k.d.

During Warren's tenure, Take 6 recorded music videos for three songs: "Spread Love," "I L-O-V-E U," and "Ridin' The Rails," which was their collaboration with k.d.

In 1991, after leaving Take 6, Warren remained in Nashville where he worked with Yolanda Adams, First Call, Larnelle Harris, James Ingram, Babbie Mason, Cindy Morgan, Sandi Patty, The Richard Smallwood Singers, Thomas Whitfield, and Bebe & Cece Winans.

In 1991, Warren was hired to arrange and produce an interpretation of the 1741 oratorio Messiah by George Frideric Handel that incorporated African-American music.

He has composed and conducted orchestral scores for film and television; he has also written, produced, and arranged songs for Ron Fair, David Foster, and Quincy Jones; and he has performed and recorded as a musician.