Quincy might need his own volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica to document all his accomplishments. His life involves working with a who's who of entertainment. He is recognized the world over, and seems to be somewhere in the background of every important musical event (sort of like Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump).

Quincy has been at it for a long time. In 1964, he created the theme song for the TV series Ironside.

He's also responsible for the opening theme for the slavery-themed mini-series Roots, which remains one the best-known themes in television history. Before becoming a household name, he recorded European artists like Henri Salvador (bossa nova à la Francais), Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel.

He also worked with Frank Sinatra in his heyday in the '60s, acting as his conductor and arranger for 3 years. One of his arrangements, "Fly Me To The Moon," was the first song played by astronaut Buzz Aldrin when he landed on the moon in 1969. Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie also benefitted from his collaboration.

He has scored 33 major movies and produced the series that catapulted Will Smith's career, The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. As if he wasn't busy enough, he also founded VIBE magazine and is part-owner of SPIN magazine.

In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song The Eyes of Love from the Universal Pictures film Banning (film). That same year, he became the first African American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of the 1967 film In Cold Blood. In 1971, Jones would receive the honor of becoming the first African American to be named musical director/conductor of the Academy Awards ceremony. He was the first African American to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1995.

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