Jones produced hundreds of records for Mercury, but gained global acclaim for his production of "We Are the World," the best-selling single of all-time, and Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all-time.

Jackson has called Jones "the King of all music," and has said that Jones "like fine wine, mellows with age."

During the last three decades, Jones entered another world that had been closed to blacks, as he composed the film scores for 33 major motion pictures. In 1985, he co-produced Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple," which won 11 Oscar nominations, introduced Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey to film audiences and marked his debut as a film producer.

Q's Jook Joint

Jones' talent as a producer lies in his ability to meld different musical styles, a combination epitomized in his most recent album, Q's Jook Joint.

Each of the songs is a modern R & B remake of 22 of Jones all-time favorite big band jazz hits from 11 of his earlier LPs.

This format makes possible such combinations as modern pop vocalist Brandy and legendary performer Ray Charles (on "Stuff Like That").

"You go and lay out the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s and you'll see a song here that almost represents each period," Jones said in an interview with Billboard. "It doesn't get documented very well in the past, 'cause nobody thought it was worth very much--and it's the richest culture in the world."

Jones selection of Canadian Tamia (then unknown to American audiences) as the principal vocalist on an album heralding the talents of past greats symbolizes the producer's willingness to take risks and appreciate musical talent.

"I think because he is a consummate musician he has literally been able to hear and discover what is essential about what the next thing is," says Dwight D. Andrews, who taught Music 131: "History of Jazz." Andrews is the first to hold an associate visiting professorship sponsored by Quincy Jones.

Dealing With Fame And Fortune

Jones' success has brought him national and international acclaim. In addition to receiving the most Grammy nominations in history, he has received seven Oscar nominations, an Emmy Award for his production score of Roots, and the Legion d'Honeur, France's most distinguished award.

He even appears in a comic strip, the nationally syndicated "Jump Start," which regularly features Jones as a visiting character.

But despite the producer's fame and hectic schedule, those closest to him say he is usually able to maintain remarkable equilibrium.

"We will be in a bathroom, and brothers will come up to him and say, 'Quincy, my man, I can see that you're busy, but could you just take a listen to my tape?'" Gates recounts. "But, somehow, Quincy is always polite."