Music producer Quincy Jones arrives for the world premiere of Quincy at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Canada, September 9, 2018. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo) |
There was very little Jones did not do in a music career of more than 65 years. He was a trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, composer, producer and winner of 27 Grammy Awards.
A studio workaholic and a virtuoso at handling delicate egos, he shaped recordings by jazz greats such as Miles Davis, produced Sinatra, and put together the superstar ensemble that recorded the 1985 fund-raiser "We Are the World," the biggest hit song of its time.
Jones also was a prolific writer of movie scores and co-produced the film "The Color Purple," as well as the 1990s television show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which launched the career of Will Smith.
Jones' most lasting achievements were in collaboration with Jackson. They made three landmark albums - "Off the Wall" in 1979, "Thriller" in 1982, and "Bad" in 1987 - that changed the landscape of American popular music. "Thriller" sold as many as 70 million copies, with six of the nine songs on the album becoming top 10 singles.