Quincy Jones

Biography: Quincy Jones had music talent since his childhood. He would play the trumpet since the age of 10 and he became partners with Ray Charles. Together, they played in jazz clubs. Even though at the age of 18 he received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, he abandoned his studies to tour as a trumpeter. He showed a talent of arranging songs and received a number of freelance commissions arranging songs for artists like Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa and his old friend Ray Charles.

In 1957, he then began studying in music composition. Which later on, he began touring Europe and became a big success. However, a poor bidget planning caused major problems and led Jones in a financial crisis. However, Irving Green, head of Mercury Records, brought back Jones with a job as the musical director in the Ney York division. From then, he got a promoted to vice-president, making him the first African-American to receive such position. Moreover, in 1964, a major jump in his life happened: he was beginning to make composing for major motion scores. From then on, he went to Hollywood and was hired full-time to make major motion scores for many movies like The Getaway and Walk, Don't Run.

In August 1974, his life almost ended when he had near-fatal cerebral aneurysm -- the bursting of blood vessels leading to the brain. He had to go through 2 delicated surgeries and after 6 months of healing, he was back in his toes to continue with his sucess!

In his music career, he had made many Jazz songs. Some songs he had done were "Body Heat", "Smackwater Jack", and various others. Moreover, he had teamed up with Micheal Jackson to produce his first solo album "Off the Wall", which became a hit! The two got together again to produce "Thriller" and became a bigger hit.

Teamed up with David Salzman after a celebration of the inauguration of President Bill Clinton, Quincy started a company called Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment. The company was about creating multi-media programming for current and future technologies, in which it had helped many programs like the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Moreover, Quincy Jones runs his own record label, Qwest Records.

Quincy Jones wrote an autobiography called Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.. For Quincy Jones can be known from anything: stage performer, composer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, actor, record producer, motion picture and television producer, record company executive, magazine publisher and social activist… Collapse