The mastermind and maestro behind some of the world’s greatest musical compositions has passed away, leaving behind a legacy of versatility and veracity along with an extraordinary catalog of iconic work.
Quincy Jones, one of the most influential figures in the history of music, helped shape genres from jazz to pop as a composer, producer, arranger and musician. With contributions extending far beyond the confines of the recording studio, his chronicled achievements are heavily intertwined with his dedication to community service and advocacy.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, the prolific musician was celebrated for his involvement with the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global) at the organization’s annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. Dressed in their finest, hundreds gathered at the Sheraton Downtown Denver in support of the work Jones championed since the early 2000s.
The Early Years
Born March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, Quincy Delight Jones faced a number of challenges early in his life. His father, Quincy Jones Sr., abandoned his family when he was a child, leaving his mother, Sara Frances, to raise him and his siblings in a segregated environment brimming with racial prejudice.
The deserted matriarch was later institutionalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia, leaving Jones and his younger brother, Lloyd, to be raised by their father, who remarried, relocated to Washington and went on to raise eight children with his new wife.
After World War II, the family moved to Seattle, and 10-year old Jones began to play the trumpet – a hobby which quickly became a source of solace and an escape from his turmoil-filled reality. He attended Garfield High School, where he refined his instrumental and musical arrangement skills alongside schoolmate and acclaimed pianist, Ray Charles.
By the age of 14, he was performing with local bands, eventually joining the National Reserve band. He attended Seattle University in 1951, then went on to attend the Schillinger House (now Berklee College of Music) in Boston.
In 1953, Jones left Boston headed on a tour of Europe, where he flourished away from the oppressive social landscape of the United States. He returned to New York in 1954 before heading back out on a world tour with jazz musician, Dizzy Gillespie. Upon his return, he played and arranged music for Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Dean Marson and Johnny Carson to kick start his professional production career.
Jones’ early introduction to the world of music exposed him to business workings behind the scenes, while catapulting him into a status of epic proportions.
The Catalog of Q
An early experience of arrangement and composition prepared Jones for a colossal breakthrough into motion picture scores.
In 1961, he became the first Black vice-president of Mercury Records. He composed the first of nearly 40 movie soundtracks in 1964, with The Pawnbroker.
By 1965, he was in high demand, with more than a dozen film credits. He composed theme songs for popular television shows including “Sanford and Son,” “The Cosby Show,” and “Mad TV.” Throughout the 1960s, he produced music for some of the world’s most famous singers, in addition to releasing instrumental hits like “Soul Bossa Nova.”
In the 1970s, he produced the soundtrack for The Wiz, and forged a relationship with the late Michael Jackson, producing famed albums, “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad.” Jackson’s monumental success propelled his career to even higher heights, making him one of the most powerful producers in the music industry.
In the 1980s, Jones gained credits as a film producer for The Color Purple, winning an Oscar nomination for one of his scores. In response to widespread famine in Ethiopia, he arranged a star-studded fundraiser recording of the song “We Are the World.”
Quincy Jones Productions was born in 1990, with a 10-picture deal with Warner Brothers and a two-series deal with NBC for the television shows, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and “In the House.”
“Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones,” outlines the bulk of his professional achievements and extensive discography including 40 albums and hundreds of song credits.
Still, for all of his efforts to amplify the magic of music throughout the world, Jones’ activism and advocacy solidify his status as a philanthropic hero.
The Man Behind the Music
Jones’ activism was ignited during the Civil Rights Movement, and he used his platform to advocate for racial equity and social justice around the globe.
He supported the creation of the Institute for Black American Music (IBAM), the Chicago Black Arts Festival, Quincy Jones Workshops and the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, which increased access to music education for youth.
During his career, he dedicated time and resources to several other organizations, including Jazz Foundation of America, where he helped save the homes and lives of elderly jazz and blues musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina.
With an early childhood marred by unfortunate circumstances, Jones encountered difficulties throughout his adulthood. In the 1970s, he developed a brain aneurysm, and after two surgeries he was unable to play the trumpet again.
Despite retiring the instrument that paved the way for his success, he received immense recognition for seven decades of work. He was celebrated with 28 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Tony Award. Though he never won an Academy Award, Jones was nominated seven times, won the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and will receive an Academy Honorary Award posthumously in 2025.
The litany of honors and awards reflect the way he revolutionized music, but his involvement in efforts to improve the lives of people living with Down syndrome are even more remarkable.
Global Down Syndrome Foundation
Jones met John Sie, founder and chairman of Starz Entertainment Group, LLC, while producing music in the cable television industry. The two became dear friends or “brothers from another mother,” as he used to say.
In 2005, Sie and his wife Anna established the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, which originally supported the University of Colorado’s Sie Family Down Syndrome Break-Through Research Initiative and several other art and cultural facilities throughout the state of Colorado.
When the Sies’ daughter, Michelle Whitten, gave birth to her first child, who received a diagnosis of Down syndrome, Jones pledged his support and reassured his good friend, telling him that his newborn granddaughter was a gift who could do a lot of good in the world.
Upon learning that Down syndrome received the least funding of any genetic condition, he devoted the rest of his life to advocacy. He became an international spokesperson and ambassador for Global, co-founded by Sie and Whitten in 2009.
Each year, Global welcomes supporters and people with Down syndrome to the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show to raise funds for groundbreaking research and improved medical care. Celebrity chaperones walk the runway with children who have Down syndrome, and the joyful atmosphere is unmatched.
Named for the monumental impact he made to Global, this year’s Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award recipients included Hunger Games actress Sofia Sanchez, and Champions star Woody Harrelson, who received a standing ovation following his speech at the event.
“In a world that often feels divided, I believe Global and everyone in this room are an example of how people who are differently-abled bring us together,” said Harrelson.
Remembering an Icon
“We are so honored and humbled to have Quincy as our spokesperson,” said Sie, as he walked the red carpet. “We expanded our whole universe – in terms of support and help – we are eternally grateful for Quincy’s advocacy and commitment, and for being forefront in supporting the organization.”
“My dad has actually been taking it really hard. We are dedicating tonight to Quincy. …We could not do this without him,” added Whitten, noting that the musical genius’ involvement gave her family the confidence to vigorously pursue Global’s mission.
Jones took his last breath on Nov. 3, and while Global ambassadors and supporters mourned his absence at the fashion show, the event – which raised $2.5 million – called attention to the tremendous humanitarian efforts he made in his lifetime, with a bittersweet thank you and a heartfelt farewell.
