Stevie Wonder is one of the many famous artists who have shared heartfelt tributes to legendary producer, arranger, and composer Quincy Jones, who passed away Sunday, November 3, at age 91.
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Wonder met Jones early on in his own long career, and the two worked together several times. Perhaps their most famous collaboration was the star-studded 1984 charity single “We Are the World,” which Jones co-produced and arranged. Wonder also worked with Jones on the 1987 Michael Jackson duet “Just Good Friends” and on Donna Summer’s 1982 self-titled album.
[RELATED: Paul McCartney Pens Heartfelt Tribute to Legendary Producer and Friend Quincy Jones]
Stevie has penned a lengthy homage to Quincy that’s been posted on RollingStone.com. Here are some highlights from the tribute:
On Meeting Jones
Wonder began his tribute by sharing his recollections of meeting Jones for the first time, noting that he was fascinated that Quincy had worked with Ray Charles and many other music greats.
“I met Quincy at the Apollo Theater when I was 14,” Wonder wrote. “I heard, ‘Oh, Quincy Jones is here.’ So I ran downstairs and met him. I knew him from his music, from the work he had done with Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald and on and on and on.”
He continued, “I had a lot of questions. ‘Does Ray Charles read Braille music? Does Ray Charles do this and do that?’ I was so curious.”
About Jones’ Work on “We Are the World”
Wonder was among more than 20 famous artists who sang on “We Are the World,” which was co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The song, credited to USA for Africa, raised money to help the victims of famine in Ethiopia.
Recalling Jones’ contributions to the track, Stevie said, “Obviously, he was the one who really orchestrated ‘We Are the World,’ putting it all together, bringing people together, and the whole idea of ‘Leave your egos at the door.’ That whole deal was amazing.”
He added, “‘We Are the World’ has got to be top of the list of things we worked on together. The greatest was to see us all as artists and musicians get together and sing this song that would help those in Ethiopia.”
How Jones’ Influenced His Own Music
Wonder also discussed how Jones inspired him to be more experimental with his musical endeavors, and to strive for excellence when creating new music.
“I think whether you work with new technology or you’re a politician or a teacher, if you just take the lessons of … how Quincy put [music] together … then you can say, ‘Let me try this.’”
As an example, Stevie referenced his early-to-mid-1970s collaborations with producers Bob Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, which saw him incorporating then-state-of-the-art electronic sounds into his songs.
“As I got into working with [Margouleff and Cecil], I was able to do things with the Moog synthesizer and the Arp to arrange music,” he noted. “My curiosity was, ‘How can I do more of this and how does this work?’ I was like a painter with different colors to create the different music that I did. And it’s because of what I heard from Quincy, the things that he did with Count Basie or the various orchestras that he worked with. Those were my motivations.”
Wonder continued, “The most important thing Quincy taught me was, ‘Don’t stop until you know you got it like you want it, until it feels right, it feels good to you.’ He said, ‘…Don’t be afraid of learning what you don’t know.’ So he also just motivated the idea of giving and getting the best—not for the money of it, just for the art of it.
On Jones’ Wide-Ranging Influence and Legacy
Wonder also praised Jones for how much he achieved during his lifetime, the span of his body of work, and how he helped raise the level of the artists with whom he collaborated.
“He’s touched every single genre,” Stevie wrote. “It brings tears to my heart to think about how and where he came from and to know that he was able to grow through all of it. When I look at life every day and I think about how ignorant and irresponsible that people who don’t get it can be, I’m motivated to continue to talk about life, sing about it, and write about it, because that’s what Quincy did. He connected with people who had those great talents, and he was able to bring out of them the best.”
Wonder added, “The fact that he has left us with such great music and such great productions and so many things that people of all ethnicities can appreciate … you can listen to all these great things he’s done and go, ‘Wow.’ In his life, at 91 years, he moved the needle forward.”
On How Jones Should Be Remembered
Wonder concluded his tribute by reflecting what Jones left the world.
“Quincy should [be] remembered as one of God’s greatest gifts to the world,” Stevie maintained. “He should be remembered as a star that we will keep burning for as long as we, as humans, exist, by carrying on the messages and the music that he did. If I could have chosen my last words to Quincy before he made that transition, I would have to borrow something that Duke Ellington would always say: ‘Quincy, I love you madly.’”
Stevie Wonder remembers Quincy Jones with Rolling Stone:
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) November 5, 2024
"He’s touched every single genre. It brings tears to my heart to think about how and where he came from and to know that he was able to grow through all of it."
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(Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage for Rogers & Cowan)
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