For more than six decades, Quincy Jones has been a force behind some of the biggest musical hits and iconic films in Hollywood. This EGOT-winning (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) producer, musician, composer, director, actor, humanitarian and author has spent his life trailblazing through Hollywood, breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for success within the African-American community and beyond. In honor of Quincy's 86th birthday on March 14, 2019, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at his long life and incredible career through pictures… starting with this Feb. 9, 2019, pic of Quincy smiling at the Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons hosted by fellow music mogul Clive Davis. Keep reading for more…
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Born Quincy Delight Jr. on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Quincy would later move to Seattle, which is where he met and befriended a young Ray Charles. Encouraged by Ray to pursue a career in music, Quincy later dropped out of college and linked up with big-band musician Lionel Hampton as a trumpeter and conductor. In this 1955 picture, Quincy is seen with his arm draped over another prolific musician, American jazz trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, as they worked on music for the Count Basie Orchestra circa 1955.
At 24, Quincy Jones married his high school sweetheart, Jeri Caldwell . Although their union would end in divorce by 1966, it gave Quincy the gift of a lifetime — daughter Jolie Jones. Seen here circa 1955, it seems Quincy was thrilled to teach Jolie his passion for music.
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In this Aug. 9, 1959, photo, Quincy Jones is seen sitting at his desk while working on a musical arrangement. At the time, Quincy was on tour as a conductor and trumpeter in Europe with his musical group, the Quincy Jones Big Band. The group performed Harold Arlen's "Free and Easy!" blues opera in several European countries including France and Sweden.
In this March 1960 photo, Quincy Jones is seen performing with his band in Paris. The trumpeter and conductor had already worked with some of jazz's biggest names including Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton and as an arranger for Barclay Records. By year's end, Quincy was ready to take his wealth of knowledge, experience and skills back to the States.
If you've ever hummed along to the song "It's My Party," you can thank Quincy Jones. As a producer with Mercury Records, Quincy helped singer Lesley Gore create the song that would go on to become a hit on the airwaves. In this circa 1962 photo, Quincy and Lesley are seen working on the track's arrangement prior to its 1963 release.
In this 1963 photo, Quincy Jones (far right) is seen with his colleagues at Mercury Records during a party for singer Lesley Gore (center). Just a year later, Quincy would be named the company's vice president. His promotion, which came at the height of the civil rights movement, was groundbreaking for the music industry and the African-American community. That same year, Quincy had an extramarital affair with dancer Carol Reynolds that resulted in the birth of his second child, daughter Rachel Jones.
In Quincy Jones's early years as a musician, producer, composer and arranger, he developed professional and personal relationships with some of Hollywood's biggest stars. In this 1964 picture, Quincy is seen giving his pal Frank Sinatra some musical instruction. Throughout the '60s, Quincy worked as a score composer on more than 50 films and TV shows.
Before Quincy Jones officially divorced Jeri Caldwell, he began a new romance with Swedish model Ulla Jones (née Andersson). The couple were married in 1967. The pair, seen here canoodling at the 1967 Grammy Awards, would welcome two children during their seven-year marriage: daughter Martina Jones and Quincy's only son, Quincy Delight Jones III.
It's important to remember that along with helping shape the careers of many music stars, Quincy Jones was also, at his heart, a musician himself. Throughout the '70s, Quincy continued to perform, including at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1972 with his Big Band and soul singer Roberta Flack.
One of Quincy Jones's most enduring friendships was with fellow musician Ray Charles. Quincy and Ray became fast friends in their teen years and maintained a close bond throughout their lives and careers. In this 1973 picture, the two are seen performing together for the "Duke Ellington… We Love You Madly" special. The TV program was Quincy's first foray into TV producing and would mark the beginning of his next incarnation as a film and television producer.
In this 1973 picture, Quincy Jones is seen with his children Martina Jones and Quincy Jones. Also in the photo is American singer Donna Hightower (left) and pianist Paul Kuhn. Quincy looks like one proud papa in this pic!
By 1974, Quincy Jones's marriage to Ulla Jones was over and he was ready to exchange vows with bride No. 3: model and actress Peggy Lipton. Seen here around 1979, the two managed to stay together for 16 years — longer than any of Quincy's other marriages.
The same year Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton were married, they welcomed their first child together (and Quincy's fifth), Kidada Jones (seen here in Peggy's arms). Two years later in 1976, Peggy gave birth to another baby girl, Rashida Jones.
In this March 14, 1980, photo, Quincy Jones is relishing the moment as he receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Accompanying Quincy on his big day were wife Peggy Lipton and William F. Hertz, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Quincy Jones can barely hold all the Grammys he won in 1981. At the time, Quincy had already been nominated for more than 30 Grammys since 1960 and had taken home six awards. Along with winning best R&B performance by a group in '81, Quincy also took home the Grammy for producer of the year — the first time he'd ever won in the category.
We have Quincy Jones to thank for one of the most popular collaborative songs in history, 1985's "We Are the World." Quincy, seen in the front row between Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder, took a break while producing the film "The Color Purple" to join forces with the charity track's songwriters, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, to produce the song. Proceeds went to the humanitarian relief organization USA for Africa. The song, which included a variety of artists from Tina Turner to Dan Aykroyd, sold more than 20 million copies, raising an impressive $63 million in aid relief funding.
Recognize that famous face? That's Quincy Jones's daughter, Rashida Jones, who looked less than enthusiastic about posing for this April 8, 1988, photo at the American Soviet Film Initiative Gala in Hollywood. Rashida, a Harvard graduate, would grow up to become an accomplished actress, writer and producer most famous for her work on TV projects including "Parks and Recreation," "The Office" and "Angie Tribeca."
In this scene still, we get a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Quincy Jones as a film and TV producer. The multifaceted mogul was actually the subject of his own documentary, "Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones," which debuted on Oct. 5, 1990.
Few realize that Quincy Jones is the man responsible for bringing "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to the small screen. Quincy, seen here with Will Smith and Tatyana Ali on the set of their family comedy in 1990, reportedly challenged Will — who at the time was best known as half of music duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince — to audition for the sitcom's lead role while in the middle of a shindig at Quincy's house. Giving Will just 10 minutes to prepare, Quincy was pleasantly surprised when Will took him up on his offer and aced the audition. An NBC executive who was at the party signed Will on the spot, launching Will's second act as a TV and, later, film star.
Quincy Jones was flanked by daughters Rachel Jones (left) and Martina Jones as he posed with his prize haul at the 1991 Grammy Awards. As of 2019, he has 28 Grammy wins from 80 nominations.
Shortly after Quincy Jones's marriage to Peggy Lipton ended in 1990, he struck up a new love affair with model Nastassja Kinski. Seen here as they attended the wedding of Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Trachtenberg on Oct. 1, 1994, the couple welcomed Quincy's seventh child, Kenya Kinski-Jones, in 1993. Quincy and Nastassja never married and broke up after just three years together.
A more controversial star that built his career with Quincy Jones's help? Michael Jackson. Seen here with Quincy at the Grammys in 1994, Michael turned to the acclaimed producer in 1979 to launch his debut mainstream solo album, "Off the Wall." It was a hit that cracked the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 and went eight times platinum. Quincy later produced "Thriller" and "Bad" for Michael — who was later accused of sexually abusing children, claims the pop star and his family have denied — but a falling out in 1989 ended their professional partnership. After Michael's death in 2009, Quincy reflected on his love for the King of Pop and said he "freaked out" upon learning the news. In 2018, Quincy stirred up controversy when he told Vulture, "Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs. [Donna Summer's] 'State of Independence' and 'Billie Jean.' The notes don't lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come."
Since 1968, Quincy Jones has earned seven Academy Award nominations for best original song, best picture and best musical score. Although he never won an Oscar for his musical and film contributions, in 1995, he did receive a little gold man when he was awarded the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which recognizes "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes."
In 2001, Quincy Jones added the title "author" to his ever-growing list of professional and personal accomplishments. In this Nov. 7, 2001, picture, Quincy is seen signing his book "Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones" for a fan at the Santa Monica, California, Barnes & Noble. Chronicling Quincy's early life, including his mother's mental health decline and how a move to Seattle in his teens helped him discover his passion for music, the book offered a detailed look into the journey that made Quincy one of the most accomplished producers in history.
Quincy Jones stepped out with his eldest child, daughter Jolie Jones, at the opening of Stella McCartney's Los Angeles store on Sept. 28, 2003.
Quincy Jones posed with his youngest child, daughter Kenya Kinski-Jones, at the premiere of "I, Robot" in Los Angeles on July 7, 2004.
Quincy Jones and ex-wife Peggy Lipton posed with their daughters, Rashida Jones and Kidada Jones, at a party celebrating the launch of their eldest's Kidada for Disney Couture line on May 31, 2007.
Longtime friends and collaborators Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie posed together onstage on April 9, 2008, at the ASCAP Pop Awards in Hollywood. In 2010, the duo would reunite once more to record a 25th anniversary edition of their hit song "We Are the World." This time, they joined forces with a new lineup of singers and entertainers including Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean to benefit Haiti following the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island nation.
Three of Quincy Jones's children — Quincy Jones III, Martina Jones and Rashida Jones — as well as ex-wife Peggy Lipton (Rashida's mom) showed up to support him at the Los Angeles premiere of "Keep On Keepin' On" on Sept. 17, 2014.
In this Jan. 8, 2015, photo, Quincy Jones speaks during a Q&A session for the Palm Springs International Film Festival premiere of the documentary "Keep On Keepin' On," which he produced. Later that night, Quincy suffered a medical emergency that left him in a diabetic coma. He emerged days later to learn that his unhealthy drinking habits had almost cost him his life.
In this Dec. 9, 2017, picture, Quincy Jones is seen with another Hollywood icon, Barbra Streisand. Along with participating in the 25th anniversary edition of "We Are the World" in 2010, Barbara also worked with Quincy in 1988 on the production of her song "The Places You Find Love" from her album "Till I Loved You."
Quincy Jones teamed up with his "Keep On Keepin' On" director, Alan Hicks, for the 2018 Netflix documentary "Quincy." In this Sept. 11, 2018, photo, the pair are seen together at a New York screening of the film, which gave fans an inside look at Quincy's daily life with his family and famous friends while relaying the powerful story of his past.
Once again making history, on Nov. 27, 2018, Quincy Jones became the first producer to have his hand and footprints memorialized at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. In support of Quincy's big day, daughter Rashida Jones was in attendance, as were music stars Snoop Dogg and Usher.
You'd think turning 86 would slow Quincy Jones down, but he's still on the move. Next up, the entertainment producer (seen here on Feb. 24, 2019, at an Academy Awards viewing party in Los Angeles) plans to produce a 2020 remake of his iconic film "The Color Purple" with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, who worked together on the original movie. "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino is set to star in the updated version as Celie, a role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in 1985.