Music Legend Quincy Jones Passes Away at 91
Quincy Jones was the music legend. He had worked with Michael Jackson and the jazz singers Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. He has won 28 Grammy Awards. In 1992, he won the Grammy Legend Award.
Key Highlights:
Early life of Jones
Career
Personal Life
Legendary Credits
Early Life:
Quincy Delight Jones Jr., was born in the family of a baseball player, Quincy Delight Jones and the bank officer and apartment complex manage, Sarah Frances on March 14, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. Jones gave credits of his musical instincts to his ancestors. As he later found that one of his grandmother’s friend was relative of a poet Sidney Lanier.
In 2006, he got an ick to get DNA test as he wanted to know what his ethnicity was. His reports revealed that although he was mostly African, but also 34% European from both the sides of his family. It further added that he had English, French, Italian, and Welsh ancestry through his paternal side.
He was also eligible for the membership of Sons of Confederate Veterans as in his mother’s side there was the DNA of Lanier male. Among his ancestors is Elizabeth Washington Lewis, the sister of president of George Washington.
Career:
When Jones was 20 years old, he travelled with Lionel Hampton, jazz bandleader for the European tour. In the starting of 1956, Jones took up the temporary job at the stage show of CBS, the pair of Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey was the hosts. It was broadcasted live from Studio 50 in New York. Jones played the second trumpet in the studio and supported Elvis Presley in his 6thTV appearance. Heartbreak Hotel, sang by Presley. Later in that year it became the Billboard magazine Pop Record of the year and his first No. 1 record.
In 1964, became the significant year in his life as he was promoted to the Vice-President of Mercury. He was the first African American to hold such top position. In the same year, he was invited by the director of Sidney Lumet, who was music composer of The Pawnbroker. After this his movie-music score reached 40 in the span. His solo recordings included Walking in Space, Gula Matari, Smackwater Jack, You've Got It Bad Girl, Body Heat, Mellow Madness, and I Heard That!! In his work careers, he worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra.
Jones activism career began in the 1960s when he supported Martin Luther King Jr. Jones along with some people began Institute for Black American Music. The fund-raiser done by the institute was utilized in the creation of a National Library of African-American Art and Music.
Personal Life:
Jones never learned driving as he was involved in a car crash when he was 14 years old. Ray Charles introduced Jones to the heroin when he was just 15.He stopped using it after 5 months as he was an astrology believer. In the year 2018, he acknowledged his belief in God as the opposition to the love for the money. Even though, he denies the notion of an afterlife. He also has the negative opinion on the Catholic Church, as he believes its roots and foundation are built on the notion of the money, fear, smoke and murder.
Legendary Credits:
He composed the soundtrack of "the Italian Job" in 1969. He received 6 out of 28 Grammy Awards for his album 'Back on the Block'. He was also three time producer of the Year honoree. 'Off the wall', one of the single solo album's of 1970s with Michael Jackson. He received Tony nomination award in 2006. Jones released his autobiography in 2002 'Q', for which he received Grammy as the best spoken word album as it was audiobook version.
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