Key Points
Quincy Jones, the man known simply as Q, was a huge influence on American music in his work with artists ranging from Count Basie to Frank Sinatra and reshaped pop music in his collaborations with Michael Jackson...
Jones died on Sunday at the age of 91, his publicist said.. There was very little Jones did not do in a music career of more than 65 years..
He was a trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, composer, producer and winner of 27 Grammy Awards...
Jazz purists called him a sell-out for making pop music but Jones later told Rolling Stone: The underlying motivation for any artist, be it Stravinsky or Miles Davis, is to make the kind of music they want and still have everyone buy it...
Jones and Jackson wanted to broaden Jacksons fan base so they added rock elements, getting guitarist Eddie Van Halen to play a blistering solo on Beat It, which became one of Jackons biggest hits ever..
