As the 2025 Oscars prepares to honor the late Quincy Jones with a tribute on Sunday, we decided to take a look back at his decades-long career in admiration and astonishment. In addition to being the force behind classic films and TV shows like “The Color Purple,” “The Wiz,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and creating his own hip-hop magazine (looking at you VIBE), Jones’ musical contributions spanned across genres, mediums and artists like Michael Jackson, The Brothers Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Donny Hathaway, and The Winans.
Whether he was making trumpets sing for a jazz album or getting the notes just right for a pop project, Jones’ ear for sonic superbness is one that can’t be touched or compared — or adequately summarized for tribute, if we’re being honest.
So, in anticipation for his upcoming tribute, we’d thought it’d be fitting to take a look back at some of the legendary musicians he produced for. Let’s kick things off with the biggest star of them all: Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson- “Off the Wall” Album
Produced: 1979
Hits: “Rock With You,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” I Can’t Help It”
Michael Jackson- “Thriller” Album
Produced: 1982
Hits: “Billie Jean,” “P.Y.T.,” “Human Nature”
Michael Jackson- “Bad” Album
Produced: 1987
Hits: “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Smooth Criminal”
Ray Charles- “A Message From the People” Album
Produced: 1982
Hits: “America the Beautiful,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Hey Mister”
Aretha Franklin- “Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)“
Produced: 1973
Hits: “Angel,” “Somewhere,” “Sister in Texas”
Little Richard- “The King of Gospel Singers”
Produced: 1961
Hits: “Joy Joy Joy,” “(There Will Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me),” “Do You Care”
Frank Sinatra- “L.A. Is My Lady” Album
Produced: 1984
Hits: “If I Should Lose You,” “A Hundred Years From Today,” “Stormy Weather”
Donna Summer- “Donna Summer” Album
Produced: 1982
Hits: “Love Is In Control,” “Lush Life,” “Human Nature”
Rufus and Chaka Khan- “Masterjam” Album
Produced: 1979
Hits: “Body Heat,” “Love In Me,” “Do You Love What You Feel”
Sara Vaughan- “Sara Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook”
Produced: 1965
Hits: “Days of Wine and Roses,” “It Had Better Be Tonight,” “Dear Heart”
Dizzy Gillespie- “Dizzy on the French Riviera” Album
Produced: 1962
Hits: “Desafinado,” “No More Blues,” “Long, Long Summer”
Lena Horne- “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music” Soundtrack
Produced: 1981
Hits: “From This Moment On,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” “As Long as I Live”
George Benson- “Give Me the Night” Album
Produced: 1980
Hits: “Give Me the Night,” “Moody’s Mood,” “Love X Love”
Honorable Mention: Tamia- “Tamia” Album
Produced: 1998
Hits: “So Into You,” “Imagination,” “Loving You Still”
While Jones wasn’t technically a producer on Tamia’s debut album, he released the project through his Qwest Records label in 1998.
The Winans
Produced: 1987
Hits: “Aint No Need to Worry,” “What Can I Say,” “Love Has No Color”
Terrace Martin
Produced: 2013
Hits: “No Wrong No Right,” “Move On,” “You’re the One”
Billy Eckstine
Produced: 1961
Hits: “In the Still of the Night,” “Alright, Okay, You Win,” “Work Song”
Straight From 
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