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‘Leave your ego at the door’: from Thriller to Sinatra, Quincy Jones collaborators tell the stories behind his songs

Whether hashing out Beat It over the phone or jamming with Snoop Dogg, artists who worked alongside Jones recall his skill, kindness and lust for life

And the sign at the studio read: “Leave your ego at the door.” There were a lot of different energies there, from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to Tina Turner, and God love him, Quincy was able to deal with all of them, individually. We did a lot of amazing things working with [Cleethorpes-born songwriter] Rod Temperton, who didn’t read or write music but he would sing ideas; he and Quincy just created this style between the two of them, a secret language. As another producer-musician straddling different genres of Black music, Terrace Martin – known for his work with LA’s finest including Kendrick Lamar, YG and Snoop Dogg – was mentored by Jones and in turn connected him with today’s hip-hop

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