GRAMMY Award-winning record producer Quincy Jones is dead at the age of 91. Jones was born on the South Side of Chicago and at age 14 he introduced himself to then-16-year-old Ray Charles, who he cites as an inspiration for his own music career. Jones began traveling around the country on tour with different acts playing the trumpet, including in the studio band that supported Elvis Presley.
In 1961, Jones became an artists-and-repertoire director for Mercury Records, becoming the first African-American to do so. Jones' career in the entertainment industry spanned over 60 years and he worked with artists such as Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. Jones produced Jackson's all-time best-selling album “Thriller,” as well as “Off The Wall,” and “Bad.”
Along with the King of Pop and Lionel Richie, Jones organized the all-star charity recording of "We Are the World." He later produced the film “The Color Purple” and the television series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Jones received a record of 80 GRAMMY Award nominations, 28 of which he went on to win, and he later received the GRAMMY Legend Award in 1992.
Jones was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the 1967 film "In Cold Blood." He passed away Sunday at his home in Bel Air, California.