If you think you don’t know Quincy Jones, you’re mistaken. Even if his name isn’t instantly familiar, his music is. Music was one big playground for musician and producer, and he was the kid who never got tired of trying new rides. From big-band jazz to the birth of pop to soul to hip-hop, Quincy’s touch is everywhere.
After his demise on Sunday at the grand age of 91, ETV Lifestyle recounts how the legendary musician and producer has seeped into the cultural ether.
Who Was Quincy Jones?
Born in 1933 in Chicago, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. came from humble beginnings, spending his childhood in a city riddled with crime and gang violence. Yet, music was his sanctuary. By age 12, he’d found a beat-up trumpet, which soon became his ticket out. He went from playing in a local band to studying music in Paris with the great Nadia Boulanger, who taught him to compose with his own voice.
Quincy’s trajectory was already sky-high before he hit his 20s, touring with Lionel Hampton and arranging for jazz legend Ray Charles. By the 1960s, Jones was one of the most sought-after arrangers and conductors in the jazz world, working with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Sarah Vaughan.
He Has Won 28 Grammy Awards
Winning his first Grammy in 1963 for I Can’t Stop Loving You and his most recent in 2019, Quincy’s achievements span jazz, R&B, pop, and rap. Each award tells a story: groundbreaking scores for films like The Color Purple, and genre-defying albums that made Quincy a household name. These Grammys weren’t just trophies for him. They were proof that music could continually evolve with each bold new project he undertook.
The Day He Rewrote Pop Music With Thriller
Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was Quincy’s brainchild. Quincy took Jackson’s raw talent and polished it with layer upon layer of innovation. He brought in guitar god Eddie Van Halen for the solo on Beat It, fused disco with funk on tracks like Billie Jean, and built tension and release into every beat.
Frank Sinatra’s Conductor and Confidant
Quincy wasn’t just a pop music guy. He was also the man who conducted and arranged for Frank Sinatra. Frank was in his prime in the 1960s, and Quincy was conducting the big band that would back him up on Sinatra at the Sands. He and Sinatra had the kind of chemistry that could make brass instruments feel like silk. When Sinatra called Quincy “Q,” it was a sign that he trusted this jazz genius to bring his music to life. Quincy didn’t just make Sinatra sound good. He made him unforgettable.
He Once Dated Ivanka Trump
Here's a story you don’t hear every day. In a 2018 interview to men's magazine GQ, Quincy casually dropped a bombshell. He had once dated Donald Trump’s gorgeous daughter Ivanka Trump. The world was as baffled as it was intrigued. It was one of those unexpected plot twists only Quincy could pull off.
Quincy Was The King Of Collabs
One of Quincy’s early partners in musical crime was none other than Ray Charles. The two met as teenagers and bonded over a shared love of jazz and a dream of breaking out. Quincy arranged some of Ray’s early work and went on to collaborate with everyone from Count Basie to Duke Ellington. Later in life, he even ventured into hip-hop and collaborated with rappers like Kendrick Lamar.
He Convinced Will Smith To Act
The catchy theme song of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was made possible by Quincy. Not only did he produce it, but he was also the one who convinced a young rapper named Will Smith to play the lead role. By bringing hip-hop into the living rooms of millions, Quincy gave the genre a level of mainstream respect it had never seen before.
His Scandalous Interview Broke the Internet
Quincy was both a musical genius and a living legend with stories to spare. He went on a truth-telling spree in a men's magazine that left jaws on the floor. He dished about The Beatles (“They were terrible musicians”), revealed that Marlon Brando had “slept with anything” and dropped industry secrets that left everyone reeling. At 85, he had zero filters and no regrets.
He Gave Back to Music
Quincy not only helped launch the careers of countless artists, like Will Smith and Michael Jackson, he also co-founded Vibe magazine, which became a vital voice for hip-hop culture in the 90s. He started the Quincy Jones Music Publishing Company to protect the rights of Black artists. Quincy knew the music business inside out, and he wanted to make sure it treated the next generation better than it had treated him.
In 1985, Quincy assembled a supergroup of the world’s biggest artists to record We Are the World, a charity single for African famine relief. Think of the lineup: Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, all under Quincy’s direction. It was a global hit, raising millions and proving that music could unite people for a cause. Quincy once said, “We don’t grow up in any way without giving something back.” And with We Are the World, he gave back in the biggest way imaginable.
Quincy's music has shaped the cultural landscape, but his unfiltered personality was just as legendary. When asked late in life about his accomplishments, Quincy once said, “I did it all with love.” And that, perhaps, is what made him the icon he was.
