Quincy Jones was an American music power house who changed the fortunes of some of the biggest pop stars in the world
Quincy Jones the man behind Thriller and other massive hits by Michael Jackson has passed away. He was 91. In a career that spanned over 70 years he was nominated 80 times at the Grammy awards and won 28. He was one of the most powerful forces in American popular music for more than half a century.
His magic was evident in his work with Michael Jackson with whom he worked on Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. These three albums were MJ’s most successful albums. He was one in a long list of music giants Quincy worked with. He worked with Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Little Richard, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross and Chaka Khan to name just a few. As a film producer 1985's The Color Purple received 11 Oscar nominations that year, including one for Jones's score. Additionally, through this picture, Jones is credited with introducing Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey to film audiences around the world. As a music executive, he was credited with a series of firsts. Jones overcame racial barriers by becoming a vice president at Mercury Records in the early '60s. In 1971, he became the first black musical director for the Academy Awards ceremony. He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time.
We are the world
‘We Are the World’ gathered together dozens of pop and rock luminaries on one unprecedented night to raise millions of dollars in humanitarian aid for African famine relief. Produced by Quincy Jones most of the artists involved were recruited by Jones due to his influence. His method in dealing with the various egos. They did not find out the name of the studio until the day of recording for security purposes. Forty-six musicians made it into the session, and another 50 had to be turned away. The ones who made it to the studio were met with a short, powerful sign written by Jones “Check your ego at the door” The single was recorded by 8.30 pm the next morning. ‘We Are the World’ even became the fastest-selling American pop single in history, with 800,000 copies selling out in three days.