By Reginald S. Webb Jr., California Black Media
On Nov. 4, the celebrated life of music producer Quincy Delight Jones came to an end at his home in Bel Air.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Jones leaves behind a rich legacy of music and achievements that spans 70 plus years. His impact on multiple genres of music as well as his contributions to art and education will have a lasting impact.
“Quincy Jones brought the world endless joy with his optimistic spirit and colossal imagination. Not a day goes by without hearing a masterpiece that Quincy produced or hearing about the good he created with his generous heart,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Jen and I — and all of California — mourn the loss of this great humanitarian and artist.”
Jones was born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago. By 10 years old, Jones’s family relocated to Bremerton, Washington where he met his first formal music mentor, Robert Blackwell, a well-known arranger, bandleader, song writer, and producer. He was a vital part of Quincy’s growth as a musician.
In 1951, Jones earned a scholarship to study music at Seattle University. After a semester there, he transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston. His stay at this college was short-lived because he left to tour with the jazz percussionist and bandleader Lionel Hampton.
“I’m deeply saddened to learn of Quincy Jones’ passing. His talent and resilience led him to not only break barriers but become one of the most successful producers of all time, touching countless lives through music,” said Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager (D-CA-37). “We’ll miss my fellow Chicagoan-turned-Angeleno.”
Later, Jones moved to New York City where he became a freelance song writer and arranger for several artists, including Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Dinah Washington. These freelance commissions led to him becoming the musical director for Dizzy Gillespie’s band.
In 1956, Jones formed his own band and released his first jazz album titled, “This is How I Feel About Jazz”. A year later, he moved to Paris to study composition
and theory. Jones spent 19 months in Paris where he became the musical director for Barclay Records.
When he returned to the U.S, Jones was hired by Irving Green, owner of Mercury Records, to be the musical director of the label’s New York division. Within a few years he became Vice President of the label. This made Jones the first African American to serve as VP of a major record label.
“Quincy Jones brought laughter, celebration, happiness and joy into the homes of millions. As a musician, composer, producer, and arranger, he changed our culture, and he changed our world,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “Mr. Jones broke barriers in an industry that had long worked to exclude artists that looked like him.”
During the 1960s, Jones produced records for Ella Fitzgerald, Lesley Gore, and Frank Sinatra. Toward the end of the decade into the 1970s, Jones began producing scores for television shows and major motion pictures, including Soul Bosonova, Who Needs Forever, In Cold Blood, In the Heat of The Night, The Italian Job, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs, The Getaway, and the popular TV series Sanford & Son.
Film scoring led to another trailblazing moment for Quincy Jones. He became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for best original film score in 1967 for In Cold Blood. The same year he was also nominated for best original song for, The Eyes of Love, from a film titled Banning.
In 1978, Jones reluctantly agreed to be the music supervisor and producer for the musical soundtrack to the movie, The Wiz. He later revealed that he worked on this project as a favor for the film’s director Sidney Lumet. Working on this soundtrack would establish a connection with a young Michael Jackson and set the stage for collaboration on three albums that solidified both men as musical icons.
In 1979, Jones and Jackson collaborated on Off the Wall, which was Jackson’s first solo album. It sold over 20 million copies. A few years later they returned to the studio and in just eight weeks, created the best-selling album of all-time, “Thriller,” which sold an astounding 120 million copies. Thriller won seven Grammy awards, eight American Music Awards, and three MTV awards. The next album they collaborated on was, “Bad”, this album sold 45 million copies worldwide.
“He was unmatched in the creativity of his many productions. I will never forget how he worked with me to present Nelson Mandela, where 90 thousand people
showed up at the Los Angeles Coliseum following his release from prison in South Africa. Quincy Jones will never be forgotten,” remembers Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43).
In 1985, Jones produced and arranged “We Are the World,” a song created to raise money for famine relief in Africa. With the help of Jackson and Lionel Richie, Jones brought together 43 of the biggest artists in the music industry to contribute to a moral cause. The song raised over 60 million dollars and won four Grammys and an American Music award.
Over his career, Jones received 80 Grammy nominations and won 28 of them. He released 16 studio jazz albums, 24 soundtracks albums, three live albums, and four compilation albums.
Six of his albums reached number one on the jazz charts. Jones also has 13 honorary doctorate degrees from various universities, including Julliard and Berklee College of Music.
1n 2011, President Barack Obama honored Jones with the National Medal of Arts.
Jones is survived by his seven children and six grandchildren.
“Jones has provided a soundtrack to the best moments of so many lives – and to the deepest movements of change in this country. Our city is forever bettered by his gifts. We celebrate his life, and we mourn this loss,” Bass paid tribute to Jones.
