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.
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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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