Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones is a popular American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer who has spent his altogether 60 years in the music industry. With a record 80 Grammy Award nominations, 28 Grammys, and a Grammy Legend Award, Jones has managed to mark his name as the first African-American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards ceremony and to receive the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He was also inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988.

What is Quincy Jones Famous for?

• Famous as 28 Grammy award-winning multi-talented record producer. 

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Where was Quincy Jones Born?

Quincy Jones was born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. His birth name is Quincy Delight Jones Jr. His nationality is American. Jones belongs to African-American ethnicity while Pisces is his zodiac sign. 

Jones was born as the son of Quincy Delight Jones Sr.(father) and Sarah Frances(mother). His father was a semi-professional baseball player and carpenter while his mother was a bank officer and apartment manager. His mother suffered from schizophrenia while he was young because of which his father took divorce from her and remarried to Elvera. He has 7 siblings out of which 3 are his step-siblings. 

Later, his family moved to Washington where he attended the Garfield High School and got involved in music eventually forming a band with his fellow schoolmates. In 1951, he won a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, Boston. 

He left studies to pursue his career in music and even set on a tour with a band as a trumpeter. He was inspired by legend singer, Ray Charles. 

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Quincy Jones’s Career Highlights

• Quincy Jones began his career as a trumpet player playing for Lionel Hampton and also as a freelance arranger. He also became the musical director for Dizzy Gillespie’s overseas band tour.
• Jones got his first breakout career when he led a band for the European production of Harold Arlen’s blues opera, “Free and Easy” in 1959. 
• He also worked for Barclay Records and Mercury Records. He became the first African American to hold the position of vice-president of Mercury Records. 
• Jones composed hit music for “The Pawnbroker” in 1964. The success led him to a high career as he even composed film scores for ‘Mirage’ and ‘The Slender Thread’.
• He composed for films like ‘Walk, Don’t Run (1966)’, ‘In Cold Blood (1967)’, ‘The Lost Man (1969)’, ‘The Italian Job (1969)’, ‘Cactus Flower (1969)’, ‘In the Heat of the Night (1968). 
• In 1970, he gained much popularity with the release of the theme song “The Streetbreaker” for the television sitcom, “Sanford and Son”. 
• Jones released his solo album, “Walking in Space” in 1969. Following that, he released  Gula Matari, Smackwater Jack, You’ve Got It Bad Girl, Body Heat, Mellow Madness, and I Heard That!!. 

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• His 1962 tune “Soul Bossa Nova” of Big Band Bossa Nova album, was used for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Jones produced all four million-selling singles for Lesley Gore. 
• In 1975 he founded Qwest Productions and even produced the soundtrack for The Wiz, which starred Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.
• In 1981, he recorded and released his album, “The Dude” which included several hit songs. 
• In 1982, he produced Jackson’s sixth album, “Thriller” which was the bestselling album in the history of the music industry.
• He made his debut as a film producer with “The Color Purple” that received 11 Oscar nominations that year.
• In 1990 Quincy Jones Productions joined with Time Warner to create “Quincy Jones Entertainment”. The company signed a 10-picture deal with Warner Bros. and a two-series deal with NBC Productions. 
• In 1995, he produced his own sketch comedy show on Fox titled “MADtv” which ran until 2009. 
• Jones appeared NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” on January 6, 2009. The same year, he performed at a private reception for USAA employees in Texas.
• In February 2014, Jones appeared in a documentary about his friend, Clark Terry, “Keep on Keepin’ On”. 
• On February 28, 2016, Jones and Pharell Williams presented Ennio Morricone with the Oscar for the best film score. 
• In April 2020, Jones was invited as the very special guest in Avid’s extensive Main Stage event schedule for its 2020 NAMM Show booth. 

Source: @popsugar

Who is Quincy Jones Married to?

Quincy Jones has been married three times throughout his entire lifetime. He first got married to Jeri Caldwell in 1957. The couple together had a daughter called Jolie Jones. However, after 9 years of their marriage, they divorced and separated in 1966. Jones later had a brief affair with Carol Reynolds with whom he had a daughter named Rachel.

Later in 1967, he got married to his second-wife, Ulla Andersson. Ulla is a Swedish actress with whom he had two children: a daughter, Martina, and a son, Quincy. However, their relationship didn’t last long as well as they divorced after 7 years of their marriage in 1974. 

However, a day after his divorce from Andersson, Jones married his third wife, American actress Peggy Lipton. They had two daughters, Kidada and Rashida, both of whom became actresses. Their relation also didn’t last long as they separated apart in 1990. 

He later dated and lived with German actress Nastassja Kinski from 1991. Four years later, in 1995, they separated away and even had a daughter named Kenya, who became a fashion model.

What is the Net Worth of Quincy Jones?

The 87 years old Quincy Jones has quite great earnings from his professional career as a record producer. Working in this field for more than 6 decades, he has managed to amass a million worth fortune from his several albums and concert tours. 

His hard work turned him to be a multi-millionaire having an estimated net worth of around $450 million. 

How Tall is Quincy Jones?

Quincy Jones is a good-looking man in his 80s. He has an average body physique. He stands tall with a height of 1.69 m while his body weighs around 83kg.