Quincy Jones, a producer, composer, arranger, musician, author, and magazine founder, has died at 91. His work spanned jazz, bebop, R&B, and easy listening. Jones was nominated for 80 Grammy Awards, won 28, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. He died November 3rd at his home in Bel-Air, California, and was surrounded by family, according to his publicist Arnold Robinson. No cause of death was disclosed.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
According to the New York Times, Quincy Delight Jones, Jr., was born on the South Side of Chicago on March 14th, 1933, to Quincy Sr. (a carpenter who worked for local gangsters) and Sarah (Wells) Jones. The paper also says he and his brother Lloyd became separated from his mother when she developed schizophrenia and were sent to live with their maternal grandmother in Lexington, KY before their father remarried a woman named Elvera, who had three children of her own. The family eventually settled in Seattle, WA, and expanded even further.
According to the Washington Post, Jones’s father was mostly absent, and his stepmother showed a preference for her children. She beat him often, and he and his brother had to fend for themselves. With friends, Mr. Jones broke into a local recreation center to steal food and soda.
“Eventually I broke into all the supervisors’ rooms, and there was one where I saw a little piano in the room, and I closed the door,” he later told rapper and record producer Dr. Dre on his Beats 1 radio show, “The Pharmacy.” “Something said to me, ‘Idiot, go back in that room!’ I went back in the room and touched the piano … and every drop of blood in my body said, ‘This is what you’re going to do for the rest of your life.’… And it saved my life.”
He joined the chorus and band at his middle school and convinced trumpeter Clark Terry to give him lessons for a month when he was in town doing a gig with Count Basie’s Band—he also befriended a young Ray Charles when they both played with a local bandleader, Bumps Blackwell. This was all before he was out of high school.
After attending Schillinger House (now Berklee School of Music) in Boston, he went on tour with Lionel Hampton in 1951. In 1956, he became the musical director of Dizzy Gillespie’s band. He also recorded his first album the same year. Then, he moved to Paris to work for Barclay Records as its staff arranger and conductor. The New York Times says he stayed there off and on for five years. In the ’60s, he pivoted to pop and became the first Black executive at a white-own record label (Mercury).
Later, Jones set his sights on scoring film and television, including memorable films like “In the Heat of the Night,” “For the Love of Ivy,” and “In Cold Blood.” He also composed television theme songs, including “Sanford & Son,” before a brain aneurysm in 1974 threatened his health. He wasn’t expected to live, but he pulled through two operations. The following year, he created Qwest Productions.
Jones was the musical supervisor for the film adaptation of “The Wiz.” There, he met Michael Jackson, which led to their epic three-album collaboration, “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad,” which sold more than 46 million units (worldwide sales are said to be double that ).
“In 1985, Jones produced “We Are The World,” a charity single featuring 40 stars, including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and Ray Charles, to alleviate famine in Africa. He also co-produced the film “The Color Purple” (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg, and handpicked Winfrey, then a rising Chicago-based talk show host, for her breakout dramatic role.
He made his mark in television with a co-venture with Time Warner, producing series that included “The Fresh Prince of Be-Air,” “In the House,” and “MadTV,” and later as the cofounder of the music magazine Vibe in 1993.
According to Billboard, Jones became the first African-American to be named musical director and conductor for the Oscars; he later served as executive producer for the Academy Awards in 1996. His acceptance of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 marked another first for an African-American. With seven Oscar nods, he tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the African-American with the most nominations. According to the Associated Press, Jones was to receive an Honorary Academy Award later this month.
Last year, Jones also celebrated his 90th birthday with a star-studded two-night tribute at the Hollywood Bowl,). The celebration, led by his goddaughter Patti Austin and featuring performances from Stevie Wonder and rising jazz star Samara Joy, captured Jones’ seven-decade career and legacy as an artist, producer, arranger, and conductor. From soulful renditions of Jones’ classics to tributes from his longtime collaborators, the event underscored his profound impact on generations of musicians.
Our condolences go out to the Jones family: Daughters Rashida Jones, Jolie Jones Levine, Rachel Jones, Martina Jones, Kidada Jones, and Kenya Kinski-Jones; son Quincy Jones III; brother Richard Jones; and sisters Theresa Frank and Margie Jay.
