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A Tribute to Quincy Delight Jones, the Pop Music King of Bel-Air

A Quincy Jones tribute by Billboard's Gail Mitchell remembers the music legend after 40 years of covering the iconic multi-hyphenate.

One of my treasured mementos is a signed personal note card of thanks (stamped with an embossed “Q” in the upper left-hand corner): “With the great editing you did, I was made to look like I know what I’m talking about.” Such a simple but impactful gesture. Jones’ work with Jackson is well known, but his innate ear also brought other hit-makers to the forefront, such as George Benson, Patti Austin, Tevin Campbell and Tamia, through his Warner joint venture, Qwest Records, which he founded in 1980. Having traded wine for protein-rich smoothies at this point, Jones discussed such topics as co-founding Qwest TV, the first subscription, video-ondemand service for jazz, and how music had substituted for the absence of his mother, who was hospitalized for mental illness when he was 7.

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