80 Facts About Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones moved easily between genres, producing pop hit records for Lesley Gore in the early 1960s and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations between the jazz artists Frank Sinatra and Count Basie.

In 1968, Quincy Jones became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Eyes of Love" from the film Banning.

Quincy Jones was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the 1967 film In Cold Blood, making him the first African American to be nominated twice in the same year.

Quincy Jones produced three of the most successful albums by the pop star Michael Jackson: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.

In 1985, Quincy Jones produced and conducted the charity song "We Are the World", which raised funds for victims of famine in Ethiopia.

In 1971, Quincy Jones became the first African American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards.

Quincy Jones is tied with sound designer Willie D Burton as the second most Oscar-nominated African American, with seven nominations each.

Quincy Jones was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time.

Quincy Jones's paternal grandmother was an ex-slave from Louisville, and Quincy Jones later discovered that his paternal grandfather was Welsh.

Quincy Jones's mother had European ancestry, including Lanier male ancestors who fought for the Confederacy, making him eligible for membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Quincy Jones had a younger brother, Lloyd, who was an engineer for the Seattle television station KOMO-TV until his death in 1998.

Quincy Jones was introduced to music by his mother, who always sang religious songs, and next-door neighbor Lucy Jackson.

When Quincy Jones was five or six, Jackson played stride piano next door, and he would listen through the walls.

When Quincy Jones was young, his mother had a schizophrenic breakdown and was sent to a mental institution.

Quincy Jones's father divorced her and married Elvera Jones, who already had three children of her own: Waymond, Theresa, and Katherine.

In 1943, the family moved to Bremerton, Washington, Quincy Jones's father took a wartime job at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Quincy Jones's classmates included Charles Taylor, who played saxophone and whose mother, Evelyn Bundy, was one of Seattle's first society jazz bandleaders.

Quincy Jones said he acquired more experience with music growing up in a smaller city due to the lack of competition.

At age 14, Quincy Jones introduced himself to 16-year-old Ray Charles after watching him play at the Black Elks Club.

Quincy Jones cites Charles as an early inspiration for his own music career, noting that Charles overcame his blindness to achieve his musical goals.

Quincy Jones credited his father's sturdy work ethic with giving him the means to proceed and his loving strength with holding the family together.

Quincy Jones left his studies after receiving an offer to tour as a trumpeter, arranger, and pianist with bandleader Lionel Hampton and embarked on his professional career.

Quincy Jones moved to New York City, where he received freelance commissions writing arrangements for Charles, who was by then a close friend, and for Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Gene Krupa.

In 1953, aged 20, Quincy Jones traveled with jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton for a European tour of the Hampton orchestra.

Quincy Jones said the tour changed his view of racism in the United States:.

In early 1956, Quincy Jones accepted a temporary job at CBS' Stage Show hosted by Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey that was broadcast live from Studio 50 in New York City.

Quincy Jones became music director at Barclay, a French record company and the licensee for Mercury in France.

Quincy Jones worked with Doug Moody, founder of Mystic Records.

In 1961, Quincy Jones was promoted as the vice-president of Mercury, becoming the first African American to hold the position.

Additionally, through this picture, Quincy Jones is credited with introducing Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey to film audiences around the world.

When people marveled at his ability to make the collaboration work, Quincy Jones explained that he had taped a sign on the entrance reading "Check Your Ego at the Door".

Quincy Jones was quoted as saying, "We don't want to make a hunger record in tuxedos", requiring all participants to wear casual clothing in the studio.

In 1990, Quincy Jones Productions joined with Time Warner to create Quincy Jones Entertainment.

In 1993, Quincy Jones collaborated with David Salzman to produce the concert An American Reunion, a celebration of Bill Clinton's inauguration as President of the United States.

Quincy Jones worked with Vance and Sides to develop the video lessons and incorporate techniques to modernize the instruction format.

Quincy Jones first worked with Frank Sinatra in 1958 when invited by Princess Grace to arrange a benefit concert at the Monaco Sporting Club.

Quincy Jones conducted and arranged Sinatra's live album with the Basie Band, Sinatra at the Sands.

Quincy Jones offered some names but eventually offered to produce the record himself.

Quincy Jones worked on Jackson's album Bad, which sold 45 million copies, and was the last time they worked with each other.

Audio interviews with Quincy Jones are included in the 2001 special editions of Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.

Quincy Jones was the consummate entertainer, and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever.

In October 2013, the BBC and The Hollywood Reporter said Quincy Jones planned to sue Michael Jackson's estate for $10 million.

Quincy Jones said that MJJ Productions, a song company managed by Jackson's estate and Sony Music Entertainment, improperly re-edited songs to deprive him of royalties and production fees and breached an agreement giving him the right to remix master recordings for albums released after Jackson's death.

The songs Quincy Jones produced for Jackson were used in the film This Is It.

Quincy Jones was reported to be filing the suits against the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil shows and the 25th-anniversary edition of the Bad album.

Quincy Jones believed he should have received a producer credit in the film.

The Brazilian singer Simone, whom Quincy Jones cites as "one of the world's greatest singers"; Brazilian musicians Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento; and percussionist Paulinho da Costa, who Quincy Jones called "one of the best in the business", have become close friends and partners in his recent works.

Quincy Jones had a brief appearance in the 1990 video for the Time song "Jerk Out", and was a guest actor on an episode of The Boondocks.

Quincy Jones appeared with Ray Charles in the music video of their song "One Mint Julep" and with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan in the music video of their song "I'll Be Good to You".

Quincy Jones hosted an episode of the long-running NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live on February 10,1990.

Quincy Jones later produced his own sketch comedy show, FOX's MADtv, which ran from 1995 to 2009.

Quincy Jones appeared in the 1999 Walt Disney Pictures animated film Fantasia 2000, introducing the set piece of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

On February 10,2008, Quincy Jones joined Usher in presenting the Grammy Award for Album of the Year to Herbie Hancock.

Daly informally floated the idea that Quincy Jones should become the first minister of culture for the United States, pending the inauguration of Barack Obama as president.

In February 2014, Quincy Jones appeared in Keep on Keepin' On, a documentary about his friend, jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player Clark Terry.

In July 2014, Quincy Jones starred in a documentary film called The Distortion of Sound.

Quincy Jones was featured on Jacob Collier's YouTube cover of Michael Jackson's "PYT ".

On March 20,2020, Quincy Jones guest starred on a music video by Travis Scott and Young Thug for the song "Out West".

Quincy Jones makes and consumes a sandwich during the course of the video.

In January 2022, Jones appeared on the album Dawn FM by Canadian singer the Weeknd, performing a monologue in the sixth track, "A Tale by Quincy".

Quincy Jones is one of the founders of the Institute for Black American Music, whose events aim to raise enough funds for the creation of a national library of African-American art and music.

Quincy Jones is one of the founders of the Black Arts Festival in his hometown of Chicago.

For many years, Quincy Jones has worked closely with Bono of U2 on a number of philanthropic causes.

Quincy Jones is the founder of the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, a nonprofit organization that built more than 100 homes in South Africa and which aims to connect youths with technology, education, culture, and music.

In 2004, Quincy Jones helped launch the We Are the Future project, which gives children in poor and conflict-ridden areas a chance to live their childhoods and develop a sense of hope.

The program is the result of a strategic partnership between the Global Forum, the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, and Hani Masri, with the support of the World Bank, UN agencies, and major companies.

In 2001, Quincy Jones became an honorary member of the board of directors of the Jazz Foundation of America.

Quincy Jones worked with the foundation to save the homes and lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, including those who survived Hurricane Katrina.

Quincy Jones never learned to drive, citing his involvement in a car crash at age 14 as the reason.

Quincy Jones revealed that Ray Charles introduced him to heroin at 15.

Quincy Jones later apologized for the interview after a family intervention with his six daughters, blaming the things he said on "word vomit".

In 1974, Quincy Jones developed a life-threatening brain aneurysm, leading to a decision to reduce his workload to spend time with his friends and family.

Quincy Jones attended his own service with his neurologist by his side, in case the excitement overwhelmed him.

Quincy Jones has been married three times and has seven children with five different women.

Quincy Jones was married to Jeri Caldwell from 1957 to 1966, and they had a daughter named Jolie.

Quincy Jones had a brief affair with Carol Reynolds, and they had a daughter named Rachel.

Quincy Jones was later married to Swedish actress Ulla Andersson from 1967 to 1974, and they had a daughter named Martina and a son named Quincy, who became a music producer.

The day after his divorce from Andersson, Quincy Jones married American actress Peggy Lipton.

Quincy Jones later dated and lived with German actress Nastassja Kinski from 1991 to 1995, and they had a daughter named Kenya, who became a fashion model.

In 1994, rapper Tupac Shakur criticized Quincy Jones for having relationships with white women, prompting Quincy Jones's daughter Rashida to pen a scathing open letter in response, which was published in The Source.