Quincy Jones net worth is a legacy, long list of Grammy awards, arranging music for the best jazz, rock and roll, pop artists and musicians, and more. If you have listened to the songs of Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong and are a jazz aficionado, Quincy Jones is a name you honour and celebrate in awe!

A true legend, highly honoured record producer, music arranger, and songwriter of the century. He started learning music at the age of six. His fascination for music grew when he heard his neighbour play the piano. Since, then for seventy years, there has been no stopping for the music legend Quincy.

Quincy has an interesting line of ancestors that links him to George Washington’s sister, ex-president United States, Lanier’s family lineage from the English Court, and French Huguenots. Quincy is an African-American who immigrated to Chicago during the Great Migration during the 1930s and lasted until 1970.

Quincy Jones Net Worth

Quincy Jones net worth came from working with Michael Jackson and producing The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. He started his music career at the age of fourteen. He met Ray Charles when they were still in teens when Charles played at a club.

By the age of twenty, she started touring Europe with his mentor Lionel Hampton. He played the trumpet for Elvis Presley when the singer was 21-years old. Quincy worked with various American and French record labels in his twenties as a music director.

He worked with several artists, bands, orchestras, and musical ensembles for 70 years. The Grammy-award music producer knows the entertainment industry as well as the political arena in and out. Quincy Jones net worth comes from numerous musical arrangements and collaborations with artists.

Quincy had a real breakthrough when he was promoted as vice president of Mercury in the 60s. He started composing soundtracks and film scores for popular and award-winning Hollywood movies.

He produced music for popular singers like Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, etc. The music he produced for various artists sold millions of copies. The albums that he produced for Michael Jackson were the best selling albums in pop music history.

Early Life And Childhood

Quincy Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Sarah Frances and Quincy Delight Jones. His mother was well-educated, a bank officer, and an apartment manager. She suffered from schizophrenia and was sent to a mental institution when Quincy was six years old.

His father was a carpenter and semi-professional basketball player in Kentucky. Quincy has a brother Llyod from who worked as an engineer for KOMO-TV, a Seattle television network. After his mother was sent to a mental institution, his father married Elvera Jones who already had three children.

With Elvera, he had four children. His youngest child, Richard Anthony Jones, served as a district attorney for Washington. He worked with several high-profile cases and is a well-known Judge in the United States.

Quincy lived in different cities because his father had to travel for work. He served during wartime. Jones attended the Garfield High School in Seattle and started taking an interest in playing the trumpet and arranging music.

Charles Taylor was his classmate. Taylor’s mother was a well-known jazz bandleader. At the age of fourteen, Taylor and Jones played for the National Reserve Band. Jones developed a close friendship with Ray Charles when he was 14 and saw him play at a club. Ray Charles was an early influence in Jones’ musical career.

Jones went to Seattle University with Clint Eastwood and earned a scholarship. He stayed there for one semester and transferred himself to another college, known as the Berklee College Of Music in Boston, on a scholarship.

He dropped out of college when he was offered a trumpeter, music arranger, and pianist by bandleader Lionel Hampton. He toured with him to Europe, the Middle East, and other countries and gained valuable insights about culture and people from all walks of life.

Quincy moved to New York and started working with Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington, and other jazz musicians, singers. Quincy found his passion for music at the age of six and pursued it.

It gave him enough experience and drive to start a professional career in music at twenty. His father was the motivating drive behind everything he ever achieved. His mother pretty much sabotaged his interest in music and was never supportive of his choices.

History Of Quincy Jones Lineage

With the help of the author Alex Haley, Jones found out the interesting details about his lineage. His great grandparents were slaves. His paternal grandmother gave birth to his grandmother with James Lanier, an entrepreneur and a wealthy banker in the 18th century.

It makes him a part of the Lanier ancestor who were musicians and poets in the English Court. He also learned that the Lanier immigrants were the French Huguenots who had musicians in their courts. Jones attributes his musical talent to his ancestors. He performed a DNA test which revealed he was 34% European and 66% African.

The test showed that he had English, French, Italian, Welsh ancestry on his father’s side. His mother’s side also showed a link to the Lanier ancestry. Betty Lewis Washington, sister of George Washington, is known to be one of his ancestors.

Personal Life, Marriage, Children

Jones is known to be a doting father. He has seven children from three marriages and one relationship. He married Jeri Cadwell in 1957 and has a daughter Jolie from the marriage. He has a daughter called Racheal with an affair with Carol Reynolds.

He married a Swedish actress Ulla Andersson and has a daughter named Martina and a son Quincy, a music and film producer. Jones divorced Anderson and married Peggy Lipton, and have two daughters Kidada and Rashida. Both are American actresses.

Jones divorced Lipton and had a live-in relation with a German actress Nastassja Kinsi with whom he has a daughter named Kenya. Kenya is an American fashion model. Jones revealed in his interview that he has girlfriends all over the world and lives an unconventional life. He was criticized by Tupac for having relations with white women.

Breakthrough And Rise Of Quincy Jones

Ray Charles was his close friend and his early musical influence. He grew up with Ray Charles. He wears many hats and has a distinguished music career working with a long list of well-known artists.

Though he was arranging music for various singers and band members, his real breakthrough came when he was selected as the vice-president of Mercury record label. He got this break working with Barclays in France, which was affiliated with Mercury Records. Before getting this big break, he won scholarships at prestigious music schools, sang gospel songs, and worked with commercial artists.

Working with Mercury records changed everything for Jones. He joined Mercury records in 1961 and got the opportunity to do a film score for a popular Hollywood director, Sidney Lumet. The first film score he arranged was for the movie Pawnbroker in 1964. Quincy Jones net worth is built with his investments in numerous enterprises like Spotify, Uber, Squire, Musicmap, etc.

After Pawnbroker’s success, Jones moved to Los Angeles and composed film scores for several Hollywood movies for which he won Grammys in various categories. His most notable works include producing top-selling albums for Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, and movies like The Color Purple, The Italian Job, and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.

Throughout his career, he has worked with pop and jazz singers. He has openly expressed his dislike for rock music. Jazz, Rhythms and Blues, and its sub-genres are African-American and have a paced melody unlike the riffs and speed tempo of rock music.

He arranged music for several music concerts for important events like celebrating Bill Clinton as the president of the United States. He states to be close to Clintons and Trumps and has a lot of stories to tell.

Musical Journey Of Quincy Jones

In the 1970s, he recorded music for Miles Davis. Jones’s music compositions, solo albums are slow-paced and rhythmic. If you are from the era of Vinyl Records or love those tracks, Quincy Jones is sure to interest your taste in Jazz, Rhythms and Blues. He is a music visionary and knows his taste in music well.

Jones is right about how there is no inventiveness in the music industry. When you compare the compositions from the era of vinyl records, gramophones, and the auto-tuners and A.I based music compositions, there is a vast difference.

Most of what Quincy composed didn’t require a background score that you hear in modern music. It camouflages the rhythm and beat, making most of the music genre sound similar and electronic. The era where the musical legends composed music without gadgets knew their craft and understood music the way most of them don’t in modern times.

Jones has gumption behind his remarks about the God-like Beatles. If you love music and understand its nuances, you will go by what he says about their compositions. They were just tunes with lyrics people wanted to hear. That’s what made them God-like in a world that was just ridden from war and other calamities; The Beatles music brought solace and hope.

But if you were to listen to them now, you would probably flip over and look for a novel beat. Jones worked with almost every big name in the movie and music industry. He stays loyal to Rhythms and Blues and its sub-genres.

He has been instrumental in revolutionizing the music industry working with artists from all over the world in different genres. His musical diversity brings wisdom and vision that uplifted the standards of musical composition and ensemble.

He is active and works with numerous young artists worldwide in various music genres. In 1964 he created a music album with Frank Sinatra called ‘It Might As Well Be Swing.’ He arranged music for Dean Martin for various events and albums. He worked with Sinatra on a solo album called ‘L.A Is My Lady’ in the 80s.

As a bandleader, he produced numerous albums for Mercury record label, ABC-Paramount productions, Warner Bros, etc. Numerous solo albums that he recorded and produced in the 70s and 80s were certified gold and platinum.

He worked with popular names for his studio album ‘You Got It Bad Girl,’ like Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, etc. Few of the tracks from this album were used for ‘The New Billy Cosby Show’ and CBS game show ‘Now You See It.’

Jones introduced the public to the sound of R&B with the studio album ‘Mellow Madness.’ It has ten tracks, and a few of the songs were sung by Jones, Stevie Wonder, Henry Cosby, and Sylvia Moy.

Back On The Block was one of the most important and celebrated studio albums created by Jones in 1989. It features numerous celebrated singers and musicians like Mile Davis, George Benson, Ray Charles, James Ingram, Ella Fitzgerald(Queen of Jazz), etc. It won the Grammy Award for ‘Album Of The Year’ in 1991, along with wins for numerous artists from this album.

The beauty of this album is that the liner notes have been adapted for various background scores, drum machine programming, keyboards, vocals, guitar, saxophone solos, samplers, and various tracks.

Jazz Abroad was the first album he recorded with Jazz drummer, Roy Haynes, released by EmArchy label in 1953. It was not a hit, but a few of the tracks from this album got three stars. What Quincy created with ensembles of the orchestra; and bandleaders; is the arrangement you hardly find in modern music.

With synthesizers and electronic instruments, the essence of opera, orchestra music has lost its essence. Even today, when you listen to these old numbers, your heart time travels back to when they made music with joy and passion.

As a bandleader, his musical journey started in 1953. He created several studio-recorded albums collaborating with artists worldwide, selling millions of copies, and bringing home Grammys, Tony, and all prestigious awards. As a bandleader, Jones created music in R&B, jazz, and its sub-genres.

His studio album ‘The Dude’ was nominated for 12 Grammys in various categories. In 2010 he recorded the last studio album ‘Q Soul Bossa Nostra’ with various artists like Akon, Jamie Foxx, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, etc.

Music Compositions For Movies

Jones started composing music for movies with Pawnbroker in the 1960s with Mercury records. He composed soundtracks for Gregory Peck’s Mirage, Oscar-winning Sydney Pollack’s The Slender Thread.

He composed soundtracks for numerous movies for various record labels. In 1968 he composed the soundtrack for the Western film Mackenna’s Gold, Ingrid Bergman’s Cactus Flower, and various other movies.

In the 70s, he composed for Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow starred John and Mary and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. He composed soundtracks for various independent and feature films in the 70s, including a Broadway musical and miniseries for television.

Music Compositions For Sitcoms And Shows

He produced The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air for NBC television network, which introduced Will Smith and numerous popular Hollywood actors today. As a sideman, he performed for various artists from 1953 to 2005 on their albums.

He has been active as a music conductor, arranger, composer for artists like Louis Armstrong, Ray Anthony, Tony Bennett, George Benson, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, other orchestra bandleaders and jazz singers from 1955 to the 1990s. He composed numerous single albums and collaborated with various artists from 1955 to 2010 in the R&B music genre. Quincy Jones net worth is his passion and dedication to music and entertainment industry.

The Fall Out Of Quincy Jones And Michael Jackson

It all started when he was working with Michael Jackson on Thriller and Bad. He accused Jackson of lobbying for an award for Thriller, but Jones got away with it. On numerous occasions, he found Jackson guilty of stealing music from various musical notes of various artists.

Much later, after the pop legend’s death, Jones opened a can of worms about Jackson, which didn’t go down well with the pop singer’s family. He spoke about why Jackson got plastic surgery and what a painful life he lived which was a total contrast with the music he made.

In his 80s, Jones started opening Pandora’s box for a lot of artists and prominent personalities receiving flakes from their family members and fans. It makes you wonder if the Grammy-winning legend producer and composer was so candid; Why didn’t he do it at the peak of his career? Why now? When most of the artists he talks about are no more, he has bad things to say behind their backs.

That’s probably the dark side of the legend, who has worked in diverse music genres. If only Jones were candid when the artists were alive, he probably wouldn’t have won Grammys, or maybe he would; you never know. The people he has talked loosely about have grandchildren, and it’s certainly not going down well with them. I don’t think there is a reason to open a can of worms for someone unless they wronged you.

He is candid now; in his 80s with a plum net worth; he has nothing to lose. It gives him the leeway to say what he wants without considering what others feel, especially when it has not affected his life in any way. He has tales to tell, and people are listening. It’s sad when those who have achieved laurels and honours resort to this behaviour because they have nothing to lose.

What is sadder is that at the age of 80s, when half of his life is waiting to be in the coffin, he has sleazy comments to make. His comments about Ivanka Trump’s legs and how he turned down Marylyn Monroe and used lack of love from his mother as an excuse to fulfil his Debauch fancies and objectify women like it were a sport.

It does not matter if you have won Grammys, Jones, you speak about women like that and objectify them; you lose your face. Artists might still sign up with you, it might not matter to you what the world thinks, but you do not come across as a nice guy pouring dirt on those who have left a mark on this world and left the world in pain.

Maybe Rick Rubin makes a better record producer than you because he is all Zen and does not objectify women. Well, this is just an opinion, not that it’s going to change anything. But having a dislike for rock music and showcasing this dark personality is not a thing of value to give to the world. If you objectify women, it is safe to say you are a sleaze-ball with talent, and you are clearly out of your wits!

There’s a lot of hypocrisy you see in the lines he speaks, putting acts of ‘cool.’ He speaks of women breaking the glass ceiling but has no problem displaying the blasphemy of his philandering side saying he has girlfriends at this age because women are bold.

Is that how you define bold women? Maybe it was a sensible decision your mother didn’t love you. You do not honour women, understand their essence, think their purpose is to make you feel good and entertain you. Maybe Jones must look within himself, find the dark truths and expose them instead of telling tales of those who are dead. It’s disappointing to see this happening. Write a book Grandpa, of all the tall tales you tell.

Bewildering Claims Made By Quincy Jones

• He didn’t like working with Elvis Presley because he thought he was a racist.
• Quincy thinks The Beatles are the worst musicians. He says Paul McCartney is the worst bassist.
• He thinks Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is a better guitar player than Jimi Hendrix.
• He claims to know the details about Kennedy’s assassination.
• Quincy claims to know of dark secrets of Hilary Clinton, which he doesn’t wish to reveal publicly
• He said in an interview that he once dated Ivanka Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump, and later apologized when her daughters opposed his claims.
• Michael Jackson lifted Billie Jean from the State Of Independence song. He said Jackson stole a lot of music from various artists.
• Frank Sinatra tried to hook him up with Marylin Monroe, and he turned her down.
• He is not fond of rock music but thinks Eric Clapton is a great rock artist.
• Actor Marlon Brando may have intimate relations with James Baldwin, Marvin Gaye, and Richard Pryor.

Investments And Businesses

He is partners with Harman, Qwest TV, Peace cuffs, Montreux Jazz, Cj Entertainment, and a couple of other brands in clothing and accessories. Quincy Jones net worth comes from his partnerships, investments, and producing music albums. His company produces short films, music videos, documentaries, and feature films.

Social Activism And Charities

Jones supported Martin Luther King Jr in the 60s. He founded Black American Music to raise funds for African-American art and music. He founded Quincy Jones workshops to educate the youth in music, acting, and songwriting.

He worked with Bono from U2 on various humanitarian causes. The Quincy Jones Listen Up foundation has built 100s of homes in South Africa that educate the youth with technology, culture, and music. He supports numerous NGOs and charity groups.

He is on the advisory board of Healthcorps, an NGO that provides school and health-based education. He is the honorary director of the Jazz Foundation Of America. He worked towards saving the lives of numerous jazz musicians during Hurricane Katrina. Jones has worked towards numerous humanitarian causes and has uplifted many artists; lives, and people through his work and charities.

Awards And Achievements

• He received the Honorary Doctorate Of Music title from Berklee College Of Music and the University of Pennsylvania.
• He was nominated for Best Musical Tony Award for the movie The Color Purple.
• In 1997 he won the Primetime Emmy Award for the miniseries Roots.
• He is the only living legend to have won 80 Grammy nominations and 38 Grammy awards.
• He won the Grammy Legend Award in 1992.
• He won the Producer Of The Year Grammy Award in 1991.
• He has been nominated for Grammy numerous times for best instrumental arrangement, composition, and performance from 1961 to 2019.

Things You Didn’t Know About Quincy Jones

• He never learned to drive a car because he was once involved in a car crash.
• He attended his own memorial service in 1974, dealing with a life-threatening health issue.
• He loves cooking
• He admits to not liking Michael Jackson getting animals to the recording studio; for a valid reason. His monkey once bit his daughter Rashida.
• He once enjoyed a meal with the famous painter Pablo Picasso and the painter paid the bill by making a design from the fish bones displayed in the restaurant the next day.
• Oprah Winfrey got worldwide fame by choosing her for the movie The Color Purple.
• He believes in astrology but not the afterlife.
• The cab driver in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air is Quincy Jones.
• Neil Armstrong played ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ during his first lunar expedition.
• Ray Charles has been a huge part of his life.

Conclusion

Quincy Jones net worth is not just wealth earned, but honour poured in and lives he has uplifted. The living legend has impacted the music industry by introducing R&B music and its sub-genres. With more than 70 years of experience and having worked most of the artists, his wisdom and gumption about music are a cosmos in itself. ‘

With an interesting mix of ancestry, diversity in music arrangements, and many tales from the past to tell, Quincy Jones net worth is a journey worth knowing. From a very young age, his contribution to music is an inspiration to those who seek to live a passionate life and pursue their dreams. He gets his focus and drive from his father, who always inspired him to complete a task on hand.