VOA文化艺术2024--American Music Legend Quincy Jones Dies at 91

One of the biggest names in America's music industry - Quincy Jones - has died at the age of 91. A family statement said Jones passed away Sunday night surrounded by family members at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Jones is known for working with many top names in the music industry, including superstars Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles. Throughout his 65-year career, he worked with hundreds of other music artists.

Jones' publicist Arnold Robinson said in a statement, "Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones' passing." It added, "And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him."

Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones said an early music influence was the hymns² his mother used to sing around the house. Early on, he played music, the trumpet³, and led others in band music.

As a very young man, Jones used to run with gangs on the South Side of Chicago. But he later rose to the top of show business, becoming one of the first Black business leaders in Hollywood. Later, he established himself as a major composer and producer.

Jones shaped recordings⁴ by jazz greats such as Miles Davis and produced hits for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. And he helped organize the 1985 money-raising event for Africa that resulted in the song We Are the World. The song went on to become one of the biggest hits of its time.

Jones composed music for Roots and In the Heat of the Night. He also organized President Bill Clinton's first inaugural⁵ celebration in 1993. Jones also wrote several movie scores and co-produced the film The Color Purple. In addition, he co-produced the highly successful 1990s television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith.

Jones's work with superstar Michael Jackson still represents one of his most lasting⁶ successes. He and Jackson made three wildly popular albums: Off the Wall in 1979, Thriller⁷ in 1982, and Bad in 1987.

Thriller sold more than 20 million copies in 1983 alone. It helped Jackson become the first major Black artist to have a video played on MTV and influenced countless⁸ other performers. Jones later explained, "Michael had the look and the voice, and I had every sound you can think of."

Jones was known for keeping company with presidents and foreign leaders, movie stars and musicians, philanthropists and business leaders. His circle of friends included some of the most famous people of the 20th century, including artist Pablo Picasso, Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela.

The list of Jones' honors and awards fills 18 pages in his 2001 autobiography⁹ Q. The book made him a best-selling writer. He won a total of 27 Grammy Awards, as well as two honorary Academy Awards and an Emmy for the television series Roots.

Jones also received France's Legion d'Honneur, the Rudolph Valentino Award from the Republic of Italy and a Kennedy Center honor for his influence over American culture. He was the subject of a 1990 documentary called "Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones," as well as the 2018 film Quincy, directed by his daughter, Rashida Jones.

Words in This Story

hymn¹ - n. a song sung by Christians¹⁰ to praise God

gang - n. a group of young people who spend time together, often fighting with other groups and behaving poorly

composer - n. a person who writes music

score - n. a printed piece of music

philanthropist - adj. someone who gives money to people who need hel

1 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

2 hymns   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At first, they played the hymns and marches familiar to them. 起初他们只吹奏自己熟悉的赞美诗和进行曲。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• I like singing hymns. 我喜欢唱圣歌。 来自辞典例句

3 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

4 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

5 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

6 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

7 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

8 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

9 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

10 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。