Quincy Jones

Composer and songwriter Quincy Jones was born in March 1933 in Chicago before moving to Bremerton, Washington, with his family. He initially attended Seattle University before transferring to the Berklee College of Music. He later dropped out of the school to serve as a trumpeter, arranger and pianist with Lionel Hampton.

Jones went on to compose and arrange tracks for artists like Count Basie, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Aretha Franklin. He founded Qwest Productions in the 1970s, producing albums for Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson including 1982’s Thriller.

Jones composed for films including 1964’s The Pawnbroker, 1966’s Walk, Don’t Run and hit shows like The Bill Cosby Show. He became a film producer with 1985’s The Color Purple, which received an Oscar nomination for his score. He founded Quincy Jones Entertainment company in the 1990s, which produced shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

During his lifetime, Jones earned 28 Grammy Awards, the Grammy Legend Award, an Emmy Award, a Tony award and seven Academy Award nominations. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

As for his personal life, Jones married Jeri Caldwell in 1957, with whom he welcomed daughter Jolie. Jones had a brief affair with Carol Reynolds, who gave birth to daughter Rachel in 1963. After splitting with Caldwell in 1966, Jones married Ulla Andersson the following year. They welcomed daughter Martina in 1966 and son Quincy in 1968. One day after his divorce from Andersson in 1974, Jones wed Peggy Lipton. The duo welcomed daughters Kidada and Rashida in 1974 and 1976, respectively, before divorcing in 1990. He moved on with Nastassja Kinski from 1991 to 1995, with whom he welcomed daughter Kenya in 1993.

Jones died in November 2024 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 91.