We recently lost one of the biggest legends the music industry has ever seen. Born Quincy Delight Jones Jr. on March 14th, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, there wasn’t anyone that had quite the same career Jones had. At Bonjongles, we’re big fans of Quincy Jones, and we wanted to take some time today to reflect on the amazing career the man had before his time on our Earth was cut short.
Getting His Start
Jones would first rise to prominence in the 1950s working as a jazz arranger, as well as being a session musician for a number of popular artists. In the 50’s and 60’s, he would work with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Ray Charles, Count Basie, and many other classic jazz artists. Additionally, Jones would also begin releasing his own studio albums, with his first, Jazz Abroad, being released in 1955.
Working With Michael
Quincy Jones had no shortage of stars to work with over the years, but none perhaps shown brighter than the star that was Michael Jackson. Both had a number of hits working without one another, but when the two put their heads together, something magical happened. The two worked to put out three albums together, Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Michael Jackson didn’t make Quincy Jones, and Quincy Jones didn’t make Michael Jackson, but each of them helped
the others star to shine brighter
An Accomplished Score Composer
In addition to being a terrific band leader, composer, and producer, Quincy Jones was also given the gift to compose scores for film and television. From 1964, all the way until the year of his death, 2024, Quincy Jones was working on scores for television and film. While he had dozens of scores over the years, these are some of the films people know him the most for: Walk, Don’t Run, The Italian Job, The Color Purple, and the Getaway.
A Man Who Cared
In addition to all of the musical genius Jones gave the world, he was also an extremely charitable man. Jones was a supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. during the American civil rights movement, and was a founding member of the Institute for Black American Music. Jones would work with Bono from the band U2 on charitable causes, and would found the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation. In 2004, he would also help to start the We are the Future (WAF) project, which focused on supplying poor children around the world with the things they need to survive.
Find Some Quincy Jones at Bonjongles
Are you looking to find something by Quincy Jones to spin? The man had his hand in so many classic jazz and pop records. At Bonjongles, we’ve almost always got a few albums by Quincy, either some of his solo work, or something he produced. Whether you’re looking for something by Quincy Jones, or any other artist, there’s a good chance we have what you’re looking for in our music room. We are located in the Winchester Exchange Building in downtown Westminster, MD.
