Quincy Jones’ contribution to the music industry is unrivalled over the course of his 70-year career as a musician, producer, arranger and composer.
He worked with the biggest names from the Fifties and beyond – think Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald – all the way to a producing credit on Harry Styles’ third album Harry’s House two years ago.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest songs to his name.
Let the Good Times Roll
Jones has 28 Grammy nominations which, alongside Beyoncé, makes him the second-highest Grammy winner of all time. In total, he has been nominated 80 times, with the first coming for his arrangement on the song Let the Good Times Roll in 1960. The song has since been covered by Jones himself, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Bono.
Fly Me To The Moon
Jones started his career as a trumpet player in the 1950s with various bands and musicians, including Count Basie. A decade later, he worked on Basie’s album with none other than Frank Sinatra. The record included legendary songs like The Best Is Yet To Come, The Good Life, Hello, Dolly! and most infamously – Fly Me To The Moon.
Neither Basie nor Sinatra were first to record this song, but Jones’ up-tempo version of it was what catapulted it into a household tune today.
Soul Bossa Nova
To the younger crowd, this may be referred to as ‘the song from Austin Powers’. In an interview with Billboard, Jones said he composed the track in just 20 minutes, adding: “And it won't go away. Mike Myers used it for the themes of the Austin Powers films.”
Thriller
Perhaps Jones’ most fruitful professional collaboration was with Michael Jackson. As the lead producer on the album Thriller, he was behind hits like Beat It, Billie Jean and, of course the title track itself.
The album won Jackson eight Grammy awards in the Spring of 1984, still the most ever received by a single artist in one night. The accolades included Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Producer of the Year.
We Are The World
Jones was also the producer behind the charity single We Are The World, written by Jackson and Lionel Richie. The song was inspired by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas and raised tens of millions for humanitarian aid in Africa.
Soloists on the track included Richie, Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers as well as Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Bob Geldof.
Ai No Corrida
Another classic disco hit that transports today’s listeners to a roller derby years ago. Jones’ version won him a Grammy for best arrangement the same year he won his first, but not last, Grammy as Producer of the Year.
