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Quincy Jones

Born in Chicago, IL

Quincy Jones's Genre:

R&B, Crossover Jazz, Jazz, Urban, Bop, Jazz-Pop, Traditional Pop, Swing, Big Band, Band Music, Film Score, Show/Musical, Vocal, Keyboard, Blues, Rap, Classical

Biography

In a musical career that has spanned six decades, Quincy Jones has earned his reputation as a renaissance man of American music. Jones has distinguished himself as a bandleader, a solo artist, a sideman, a songwriter, a producer, an arranger, a film composer, and a record label executive, and outside of music, he's also written books, produced major motion pictures, and helped create television series. And a quick look at a few of the artists Jones has worked with suggests the remarkable diversity of his career -- Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Lesley Gore, Michael Jackson, Peggy Lee, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, and Aretha Franklin.

Jones was born in Chicago, IL, on March 14, 1933. When he was still a youngster, his family moved to Seattle, WA, and he soon developed an interest in music. In his early teens, Jones began learning the trumpet, and started singing with a local gospel group. By the time he graduated from high school in 1950, Jones had displayed enough promise to win a scholarship to Boston-based music school Schillinger House (which later became known as the Berklee School of Music). After a year at Schillinger, Jones relocated to New York City, where he found work as an arranger, writing charts for Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley, Tommy Dorsey, and Dinah Washington, among others. In 1953, Jones scored his first big break as a performer; he was added to the brass section of Lionel Hampton's orchestra, where he found himself playing alongside jazz legends Art Farmer and Clifford Brown. Three years later, Dizzy Gillespie tapped Jones to play in his band, and later in 1956, when Gillespie was invited to put together a big band of outstanding international musicians, Diz chose Quincy to lead the ensemble. Jones also released his first album under his own name that year, a set for ABC-Paramount appropriately entitled This Is How I Feel About Jazz.

In 1957, Jones moved to Paris in order to study with Nadia Boulanger, an expatriate American composer with a stellar track record in educating composers and bandleaders. During his sojourn in France, Jones took a job with the French record label Barclay, where he produced and arranged sessions for Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour, as well as traveling American artists, including Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan. Jones' work for Barclay impressed the management at Mercury Records, a American label affiliated with the French imprint, and in 1961, he was named a vice president for Mercury, the first time an African-American had been hired as an upper-level executive by a major U.S. recording company. Jones scored one of his first major pop successes when he produced and arranged "It's My Party" for teenage vocalist Lesley Gore, which marked his first significant step away from jazz into the larger world of popular music. (Jones also freelanced for other labels on the side, including arranging a number of memorable Atlantic sides for Ray Charles.) In 1963, Jones began exploring what would become a fruitful medium for him when he composed his first film score for Sidney Lumet's controversial drama The Pawnbroker; he would go on to write music for 33 feature films, including In Cold Blood, In the Heat of the Night, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, and The Getaway. In 1964, Jones' work with Count Basie led him to arrange and conduct sessions for Frank Sinatra's album It Might as Well Be Swing, recorded in collaboration with Basie and his orchestra; he also worked with Sinatra and Basie again as an arranger for the award-winning Sinatra at the Sands set, and would produce and arrange one of Sinatra's last albums, L.A. Is My Lady, in 1984.

While Jones maintained a busy schedule as a composer, producer, and arranger through the 1960s, he also re-emerged as a recording artist in 1969 with the album Walking in Space, which found Jones recasting his big-band influences within the framework of the budding fusion movement and the influences of contemporary rock, pop, and R&B sounds. The album was a commercial and critical success, and kick started Jones' career as a recording artist. At the same time, he began working more closely with contemporary pop artists, producing sessions for Aretha Franklin and arranging strings for Paul Simon's There Goes Rhymin' Simon, and while Jones continued to work with jazz artists, many hard-and-fast jazz fans began to accuse Jones of turning his back on the genre, though Jones always contended his greatest allegiance was to African-American musical culture rather than any specific style. (Jones did, however, make one major jazz gesture in 1991, when he persuaded Miles Davis to revisit the classic Gil Evans arrangements from Miles Ahead, Sketches of Spain, and Porgy and Bess for that year's Montreux Jazz Festival; Jones coordinated the concert and led the orchestra, and it proved to be one of the last major events for the ailing Davis, who passed on a few months later.)

In 1974, Jones suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm, and while he made a full recovery, he also made a decision to cut back on his schedule to spend more time with his family. While Jones may have had fewer projects on his plate in the late '70s and early '80s, they tended to be higher profile from this point on; he produced major chart hits for the Brothers Johnson and Rufus & Chaka Khan, and his own albums grew into all-star productions in which Jones orchestrated top players and singers in elaborate pop-R&B confections on sets like Body Heat, Sounds...And Stuff Like That!!, and The Dude. Jones' biggest mainstream success, however, came with his work with Michael Jackson; Jones produced his breakout solo album, Off the Wall, in 1979, and in 1982 they teamed up again for Thriller, which went on to become the biggest-selling album of all time. Jones was also on hand for Thriller's follow-up, 1987's Bad, and the celebrated USA for Africa session which produced the benefit single "We Are the World" (written by Jackson and Lionel Richie), and he produced a rare album in which Jackson narrated the story of the film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

Having risen to the heights of the recording industry, in 1985 Jones moved from scoring films to producing them; his first screen project was the screen adaptation of Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Whoopi Goldberg. In 1991 he moved into television production with the situation comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which gave Will Smith his first starring role. Jones' production company also launched several other successful shows, including In the House and Mad TV. He also produced a massive concert to help commemorate the 1993 inauguration of president Bill Clinton, and at the 1995 Academy Awards won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, a prize that doubtless found its place beside Quincy's 26 Grammy awards. In 1996 Jones performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival to celebrate his 50th anniversary in the music business. The concert was captured on video and released as a DVD by Eagle Rock. Jones spent the rest of the '90s and first decade of the new century concentrating on his music publishing business and being an "unofficial" cultural ambassador for the United States.

In 2004 he helped to launch the We Are the Future (WAF) project, benefiting children in conflict-inhibited situations all over the globe. The program is the result of a strategic partnership between the Glocal Forum, the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, and Hani Masri, with the support of the World Bank, UN agencies, and corporations. Jones personally lobbied President Barack Obama to create a secretary of the arts position in his cabinet. He also spent considerable time in Brazil, and in 2009 announced his plans for a film about Carnival and some of the nation's musicians and producers. In 2010 Jones released Q: Soul Bossa Nostra through his Qwest imprint, his first album in 15 years. The set featured appearances by popular vocalists Amy Winehouse, Usher, Tyrese, Tevin Campbell, and LL Cool J, among others. Ludacris and Naturally 7 reprised Jones' 1962 hit "Soul Bossa Nova"; the album's lead single/video was a cover of "Strawberry Letter 23" with lead vocals from Akon. ~ Mark Deming

AOL Radio Stations Quincy Jones is Featured on (14)

Big Band/Swing

Slacker’s Big Band/Swing showcases the bands and singers that changed the face of American music and have kept the style and tradition alive ever since. From the “sweet” music of the mid 1920’s, all the way to the resurgence of swing in the 1990’s, you’ll hear all your favorites.

Classic Jazz [Non-Voc]

Singers need not at apply on Slacker's Classic Jazz Non-Vocal. This is where the masters of jazz instrumentation live. Tune in and break it down with the greats. You'll hear Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and more!

Acid Jazz

Just what is Acid Jazz? It’s soulful jazz with a funky beat and much more! Acid Jazz on Slacker Radio reflects a mix of pioneering soul/jazz artists from the 60’s and 70’s cross pollinated with reggae and electronica. To top it off, we threw in some R&B classics from the 60’s and 70’s.

Classic Jazz

Classic Jazz aims to touch on the whole story of Jazz. From the art of the early masters like Louis Armstrong to the trailblazers of today, the entire arc of this uniquely American music unfolds daily. Examples of early Swing, Big Band, Bebop, Hard-bop, Cool, Modal, Fusion, Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova, and Avante-garde merge into a a rich medley of timeless music.

Love Songs

Love Songs on Slacker Radio has just the right blend of sentimental favorites. Set the mood with artists like Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Elton John, Mariah Carey, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder plus classic romantic favorites. Listen and fall in love with Slacker Love Songs.

Slow Jamz

Dim the lights and enjoy the most romantic artists of all time, from Marvin Gaye and Barry White to Maxwell and Alicia Keys. Your very own "quiet storm" is right here, on Slacker Slow Jamz...so chill the champagne and groove!

Classic Soul

Classic Soul on Slacker Radio celebrates some of the greatest music ever made, spanning almost 40 years of smooth, soulful tunes that'll make you feel the true power and passion of music.

Smooth Jazz

Relax and refresh with Smooth Jazz on Slacker Radio. Ride the wave of sophisticated grooves and sultry sax stylings from today's top artists as well as Smooth Jazz pioneers.

Disco

Wildly popular in clubs and on radio from the early '70s through the early '80s, Disco on Slacker Radio revisits the divas, supergroups, one-hit wonders, producers and DJ's that made you want to dance.

Modern Jazz

Modern Jazz on Slacker Radio mixes and blends the best of today’s progressive improvising artists with Classic Fusion, Contemporary Brazilian, Acid Jazz, Funk, Jazz Techno, Electronic Jazz, Jam-Band Jazz, World Jazz, Nu-Jazz and indefinable music of the Modern Masters.

Easy Listening

If you can remember back to when stores were closed on Sundays, life was "slow, and oh so mellow" and lazy Sunday afternoons were spent listening to the soft sounds from the radio...then Easy Listening on Slacker Radio will bring you back. Many classic artists that you don't hear on terrestial radio anymore like Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand and John Denver are all here mixed with some beautiful instrumentals and Yacht Rock favourites....sit back, enjoy the sweet sounds and the memories!

Jazz

Jazz on Slacker Radio draws from a rich palette of melodic and improvisational sounds, encompassing all the colors of jazz. From classic to current, from Adderley to Zawinul, you’ll experience listenable but progressive mix.

R&B

Slacker R&B is built upon a vast library of sexy music for sexy people, centering on the past 15 years of hits. You'll hear the biggest songs of today, as well as the tunes you've been grooving to since the mid-nineties--with a bit of old school flavor and a lot of surprises.

Quincy Jones

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Brighter Side of Darkness, Chapter 8, Oleta Adams, Bobby Caldwell, Eugene Wilde, Samantha Sang, Debra Laws, Love Unlimited, Champaign, Love Unlimited Orchestra and more.

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Quincy Jones's Selected Discography (50)

Sounds...And Stuff Like That!!

Standards: Great Songs Great Performances

COMPILATION20108 Songs

The Quincy Jones ABC/Mercury Big Band Jazz Sessions Album Cover

Artists Related to Quincy Jones (50)

	Brighter Side of Darkness	This Chicago group of mostly high school students didn't enjoy a lengthy tenure, but made the marvelous wailing ballad "Love Jones" in 1972.
	Chapter 8	This Detroit group is best known as the band that helped launch Anita Baker's career. The original group was founded by Michael Powell and David Washington in 1972.
	Oleta Adams	Being the daughter of a minister, it's no surprise that Oleta Adams' roots are in gospel, as she often performed in her father's church.
	Bobby Caldwell	Contemporary jazz singer/guitarist Bobby Caldwell was born August 15, 1951, in Manhattan, NY; his parents, Bob and Carolyn, were the hosts of the television variety show Suppertime and exposed the child to a wide variety of musical influences.
	Eugene Wilde	Ron Broomfield, aka Eugene Wilde, seemed ready to become a megastar in the mid-'80s. The Miami-based vocalist, who had formerly been with Life, had a resonant, authoritative voice and very confident manner.
	Samantha Sang	A one-hit wonder from the late '70s, Samantha Sang made her professional singing debut because of Barry and Maurice Gibb.
	Debra Laws	As the sister of noted R&B and jazz notables Hubert Laws, Eloise Laws, and Ronnie Laws (of '70s powerhouse Earth Wind and Fire), Debra Laws was a part of a very musical family.
	Love Unlimited	Love Unlimited is the vocal trio who contributed cooing background vocals on Barry White's million-selling hits and sold-out concerts, as well as having their own gold single, "Walkin' in the Rain With the One I Love," and a number one R&B smash, "I Belong to You.
	Champaign	Champaign took its name from its home city of Champaign, IL. The group was an interracial septet comprising singers Pauli Carman and Rena Jones, guitarist Howard Reeder, keyboardists Michael Day and Dana Walden, bassist Michael Reed, and percussionist Rocky Maffitt.
	Love Unlimited Orchestra	The longtime support unit for R&B love man Barry White, the 40-piece Love Unlimited Orchestra's lush, string-laden sound helped set the stage for the emergence of disco.
	O'Bryan	Multi-instrumentalist O'Bryan got into the business after a friend (who was in the choir he sang in as a young adult in Southern California) married Ron Kersey, who had worked in Philadelphia with groups like the Trammps in the 1970s.
	Maxine Nightingale	Born in November 1952, in the west London suburb of Wembley, England, Maxine Nightingale was just 16 years old when she began singing in her school band.
	Peaches & Herb	Though soul/pop Peaches and Herb was billed as a duo, their group member rotation is more similar to a group's.
	Gerald Wilson	From time to time, Gerald Wilson seems like one of Los Angeles' better-kept secrets, an unusually skillful, imaginative, and charismatic bandleader who hasn't received his due outside the West Coast.
	Enchantment	The smooth and melodious soul group Enchantment was active by the late '60s, but waited ten years for popular success with the Top 40 hit "Gloria.
	Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
	Patti Austin	A professional since the age of five, Patti Austin was a protégé of Dinah Washington and Sammy Davis, Jr.
	GQ	A Bronx group that effectively mixed East Coast disco and Chicago soul covers in the late '70s and early '80s, GQ began as Sabu & the Survivors in 1968.
	Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra	The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra is unusual in that it has three leaders: drummer Jeff Hamilton, altoist Jeff Clayton, and bassist John Clayton.
	Glenn Jones	While he's never been as commanding an R&B/urban vocalist as he was in his gospel days, Glenn Jones has nevertheless managed a successful switch from spiritual to secular material.
	Al Wilson	Best remembered for the soul classic "Show and Tell," singer Al Wilson was born June 19, 1939 in Meridian, Mississippi.
	Shirley Murdock	Singer/songwriter Shirley Murdock is best known for the ethereal ballad "As We Lay," which was produced by Roger Troutman.
	Maysa	Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, jazz-soul singer/songwriter Maysa Leak embarked on a singing career at an early age.
	Black Ivory	Leroy Burgess, Stuart Bascombe, and Russell Patterson were Black Ivory, an exceptional and occasionally brilliant soul group from Harlem that recorded throughout the '70s and returned sporadically during the decades following.
	Brenda Russell	Born Brenda Gordon, Russell is a soul singer, composer, and keyboardist. Her family moved to Toronto when she was 12.
	Freda Payne	The multi-talented Freda Payne is best known for her singing career, yet she has also performed in musicals and acted in movies over the years, and briefly was the host of her own TV talk show.
	Lo-Key	Lance, Dre, and T-Bone mix funk and R&B on two albums for Perspective Records. Their debut, Where Dey At?, featured "I Got A Thing 4 Ya," a number one R&B single; their second album is Back 2 Da Howse.
	The Main Ingredient	The Main Ingredient toiled in obscurity for the better part of the '60s before making it big as a sweet, romantic soul outfit with a particular flair for ballads.
	Mercer Ellington	Mercer Ellington had the impossible task of trying to escape from his father Duke Ellington's shadow and he never really succeeded, perhaps not trying hard enough.
	Jennifer Holliday	Texan Jennifer Holliday gained national recognition when she had the lead in the Broadway musical Your Arm's Too Short to Box with God.
	Charlie Watts	On first glance, Charlie Watts would seem to be a funny choice to include in a jazz book for he is the longtime drummer of the Rolling Stones.
	Surface	When you think of the group Surface, the term disco dancefloor doesn't come to mind. The '80s soft soul vocal trio known for such lush ballads as "Closer Than Friends" and the million-selling singles "Shower Me With Your Love" and the number one pop hit "The First Time" had one of its first charting records as artists signed to dance music pioneer Salsoul Records.
	The Originals	Often called "Motown's best-kept secret," the Originals scored only a handful of chart hits during their lengthy career, most notably the powerful 1969 ballad "Baby I'm for Real," but their behind-the-scenes contributions as songwriters and backing vocalists cement their place in the label's enduring legacy.
	Cheryl Lynn	Perhaps the lone artist who got her start on The Gong Show and remained credible, Cheryl Lynn's searing, often captivating voice and great range were showcased on some marvelous dance hits in the late '70s and early '80s.
	Ron Carter	The epitome of class and elegance, though not stuffy, Ron Carter has been a world class bassist and cellist since the '60s.
	The System	Pioneering synth duo the System rode the '80s wave of emerging synth/MIDI music technology to help lay the foundation for contemporary electronic popular music with their upfront, unapologetic use of synths and intelligent songwriting.
	Natalie Cole	The daughter of jazz and pop legend Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole has forged a successful career in two phases, doing R&B/urban contemporary and then jazz-based pop.
	Dorothy Moore	Dorothy Moore had two huge hits in 1976 for Malaco with "Misty Blue" and "Funny How Time Slips Away.
	James Moody	James Moody was an institution in jazz from the late '40s into the 21st century, whether on tenor, flute, occasional alto, or yodeling his way through his "Moody's Mood for Love.
	A Taste of Honey	A Taste of Honey had two huge hits that were very dissimilar from each other -- "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and a cover of Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 gold hit "Sukiyaki.
	Charlie Rouse	Possessor of a distinctive tone and a fluid bop-oriented style, Charlie Rouse was in Thelonious Monk's Quartet for over a decade (1959-1970) and, although somewhat taken for granted, was an important ingredient in Monk's music.
	Joe Farrell	Joe Farrell's CTI albums of 1970-1976, which combined together his hard bop style with some pop and fusion elements, made him briefly popular among listeners not familiar with his earlier work.
	Ray, Goodman & Brown	The "sweet" soul trio of Harry Ray, Al Goodman, and Billy Brown scored several hits for All Platinum/Stang Records in the early '70s as the Moments before they became Ray, Goodman & Brown in 1978.
	Herbie Mann	Herbie Mann played a wide variety of music throughout his career. He became quite popular in the 1960s, but in the '70s became so immersed in pop and various types of world music that he seemed lost to jazz.
	Casa Loma Orchestra	When originally formed by saxophonist Glen Gray, the Casa Loma Orchestra was a cooperative orchestra.
	Miles Jaye	A former member of the Village People, Miles Jaye became a popular male vocalist in urban circles during the late '80s.
	The Deele	The Deele are best-known as the group that brought Babyface (b. Kenny Edmonds) and L.A. Reid (b. Mark Rooney) to prominence.
	David Ruffin	One of the greatest lead singers the Motown stable ever had, David Ruffin became one of the artistic cornerstones of the Temptations after his lead vocal on "My Girl" (1965) paved the way for such majestic follow-ups as "Since I Lost My Baby" (1965), "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" (1966), "All I Need" (1967), and "I Wish It Would Rain" (1968).
	Regina Belle	Regina Belle emerged as a prolific, consistently engaging vocalist on the urban contemporary scene. Born in New Jersey, Belle's early experience was in gospel, though she was also attracted to R&B during her childhood.
	Billy Preston	It's advantageous to get an early start on your chosen career, but Billy Preston took the concept to extremes.