Quincy Jones was born in Chicago in 1933 and grew up partly in Washington state. He learned trumpet and began developing the arranging skills that became central to his career. In Seattle, the young Jones also formed a friendship with Ray Charles. The Academy of Achievement's account places that relationship among his early experiences of learning from other musicians.
He worked with Lionel Hampton's orchestra and became musical director for Dizzy Gillespie's 1956 international tour. In 1957, he moved to Paris and studied with Nadia Boulanger. Performance, arranging and formal study all fed the same career, and the work kept coming back to the same skill: hearing what a particular musician could do and writing music that let him do it.
Jones later worked at Mercury Records and became a vice president in 1964, a milestone the Academy of Achievement identifies for an African American executive at a major record company. His responsibilities now included the organization that produced and distributed recordings, extending his work beyond the bandstand and studio.
Film became another major setting for his music. His scores included *The Pawnbroker*, and he worked on recording projects with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. Later, his production partnership with Michael Jackson included *Off the Wall* and *Thriller*, projects that depended on the contributions of performers and other creative workers as well as the producer.
In 1985, he worked on the multi-artist recording "We Are the World" and co-produced *The Color Purple* with Steven Spielberg. His wider institutional work included helping establish the Institute for Black American Music. The Academy of Achievement also documents his 1993 business partnership with David Salzman. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honored Jones in 2013 with its Ahmet Ertegun Award, with Oprah Winfrey inducting him. He died in 2024.
