Happy Birthday Quincy Jones

“I tell my kids and I tell proteges, always have humility when you create and grace when you succeed, because it's not about you. You are a terminal for a higher power. As soon as you accept that, you can do it forever” - Quincy Jones

(Quincy Jones)

Quincy Jones Jr. was born on March 14th, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Jones was first introduced to Gospel music from his mother when he was 5 years old. He also started to play his neighbor’s piano at 5 years old and fell in love with the instrument. When Jones was young his mother was committed to a mental institution. In 1943 Jones’ family moved to Bremerton, WA. In 1945 his family moved to Seattle, WA. By 12 years old Jones started to become a good trumpeter and music arranger. At 14 Jones began playing with a National Reserve band. During this same year Jones met a 16 year old musician from Florida named Ray Charles. In 1951 Jones won a scholarship to Seattle University. Jones then transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston on another scholarship.

(Jones in 1951)

He then left his studies after he received an offer to tour as a trumpeter with the bandleader Lionel Hampton. Jones then moved to New York City, NY. He then started to arrange songs for artists, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, and Ray Charles. At 19 years old Jones traveled with Lionel Hampton to Europe. This trip altered how he saw racism in the US. In 1956 Jones toured with  Dizzy Gillespie to the Middle East and South America.

(Jones (Right) with Dizzy Gillespie (Center))

Jones then signed with ABC-Paramount Records and started his recording career as the leader of his own band. In 1957 Jones moved to Paris, France. Jones did a European tour that ended in 1960. During the 1960’s Jones worked as an arranger for Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nana Mouskouri, Shirley Horn, Peggy Lee, and Dinah Washington. Also during the 1960’s Jones’ albums were very successful and during this time Jones became the founder of the Institute for Black American Music (IBAM). Jones’ 1962 song “Soul Bossa Nova” is Jones’ most famous song used in various forms of media and pop culture. In 1964 Jones became the vice president of Mercury Records, becoming the first African American to hold this position. Also in the same year Jones composed the music for the movie The Pawnbroker. Also in 1964 Frank Sinatra hired Jones to arrange and conduct Sinatra’s album “It Might as Well be Swing”.

(Frank Sinatra (Left) and Jones (Right))

After the success of the movie The Pawnbroker, Jones left Mercury Records and moved to Los Angeles, CA. In 1965 Jones composed music for the movies Mirage and The Slender Thread. Jones was in constant demand as a composer. In 1966 Jones conducted and arranged Sinatra’s live album “Sinatra at the Sands”. Also In 1966 Jones composed music for the movies Walk, Don't Run, The Deadly Affair, in 1967  Banning, In Cold Blood, In the Heat of the Night, in 1968 A Dandy in Aspic, For Love of Ivy, The Hell with Heroes, in 1969  Mackenna's Gold, The Italian Job, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Lost Man, Cactus Flower, John and Mary, in 1970 The Out-of-Towners, They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, in 1971 The Anderson Tapes, $, and in 1972 The Hot Rock, The New Centurions and The Getaway. Jones also composed music for TV shows such as Sanford & Son, Ironside, Banacek, The Bill Cosby Show, the opening episode of Roots, and Now You See It. In 1974 Jones suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm. In 1975 Jones founded Qwest Productions. In 1978 Jones produced the music for the movie The Wiz.

(Jones in the film The Wiz (1978))

In 1979 Jones produced Michael Jackson’s album “Off the Wall” which sold 20,000,000 copies. In 1982 Jones produced the highest selling album of all time (Over 110,000,000, copies worldwide), Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.

(Michael Jackson (Left) and Jones (Right) in 1984)

In 1985 Jones’ did the score for the movie The Color Purple. Jones also produced and arranged the song “We Are the World”, which brought together the biggest musical artists of the 1980’s for charity to help Ethiopia’s famine.

(Jones (Left), Stevie Wonder (Left Center), Michael Jackson (Right Center) and Lionel Richie (Right) in 1985)

In 1987 Jones again worked with Michael Jackson to produce Jackson’s “Bad” album, which sold 45,000,000 copies. In 1988 Quincy Jones Productions joined forces with Warner Communications to create Quincy Jones Entertainment. Jones signed a ten-picture deal with Warner Brothers and signed a two-series deal with NBC Productions. Jones produced the TV shows Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, and Mad TV. In 1990 Jones hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.

(Jones hosting Saturday Night Live in 1990)

In 1991 Jones made an album with Miles Davis called “Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux”.

(Miles Davis (Left) and Jones (Right))

In 1993 Jones joined forces with Salzman and renamed his company as Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment (QDE). In 1999 Jones appeared in the movie Fantasia 2000.

(Jones (Right) in the movie Fantasia 2000 (1999))

In 2001 Jones published his autobiography, Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. Also in 2001 Jones became an honorary member of the board of directors of The Jazz Foundation of America. In 2004 Jones helped launch the We Are the Future (WAF) project, which gives children in poor and conflict-ridden areas a chance to live their childhoods. In 2013 Jones sued the estate of Michael Jackson for 10 million dollars because MJJ Productions and Sony Music Entertainment, improperly re-edited songs to deprive Jones of royalties and production fees. In 2015 Jones appeared on Dr. Dre’s The Pharmacy on Beats 1 Radio.

(Jones (Left) and Dr. Dre (Right))

Today is his 84th birthday and we would all like to say happy birthday Quincy Jones.

Albums by Quincy Jones

• “Jazz Abroad” (1955)
• “This is How I Feel About Jazz” (1956)
• “Go West, Man!” (1957)
• “Quincy’s Home Again” (1958)
• “The Birth of a Band!” (1959)
• “The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones” (1959)
• “I Dig Dancers” (1960)
• “Around the World” (1961)
• “Newport ‘61” (1961)
• “The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones Live” (1961)
• “The Quintessence” (1961)
• “Big Band Bossa Nova” (1962)
• “Quincy Jones Plays Hip Hits” (1963)
• “Golden Boy” (1964)
• “I Had a Ball” (1964)
• “Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini” (1964)
• “Quincy Plays for Pussycats” (1965)
• “Quincy’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)
• “Walking In Space” (1969)
• “Gula Matari” (1970)
• “Smackwater Jack” (1971)
• “You’ve Got it Bad Girl” (1973)
• “Body Heat” (1974)
• “Mellow Madness” (1975)
• “I Heard That!!” (1976)
• “Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!” (1978)
• “Quincy Jones Live at the Budokan” (1981)
• “The Dude” (1981)
• “Back on the Block” (1989)
• “Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux” (1993)
• “Q’s Jook Joint” (1995)
• “Basie and Beyond” (2000)
• “The Original Jam Sessions 1969” (2004)
• “Q Soul Bossa Nostra” (2010)

Books by Quincy Jones

• Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones (2001)

Videos of Quincy Jones

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiGegAwSQcg  “Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXg434zsYsQ  “U S A For Africa We Are The World 1985 Official Video HQ 16 9 feat Michael Jackson”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICGE8qg7LHc  “Quincy Jones - Interview - 11/4/1984 - Rock Influence (Official)”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfR0U7ABRiA  “Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones Interview 1983 RARE!!!”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbyGwvSm09A  “Quincy Jones, Ray Charles & Chaka Khan - I'll Be Good To You”