Quincy Jones, a pioneering musician, composer, and record producer, died on November 3 at age 91. During his career of more than 70 years, he helped shape and define pop, jazz, and R&B music into the genres they are known as today.
Born in 1933 in Chicago, Illinois, Jones studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Although he began his career playing the trumpet, he gained fame by writing, arranging, and producing music for other artists, including such legends as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin. He produced Michael Jackson’s album Thriller, which was released in 1982 and remains the best-selling album of all time.
Jones became the first Black vice president of a major record label in 1964, and he also made a significant impact in…