When legendary musician Quincy Jones accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1995 Oscars, he became only the second Black artist (after “Song of the South” star James Baskett in 1948) to ever receive a non-competitive Academy Award. Having since been followed by a dozen more such honorees, he will soon make history as the first Black creative with two special Oscars to his name.
Along with Richard Curtis, Juliet Taylor, Michael G. Wilson, and Barbara Broccoli, Jones is set to be feted at the 15th annual Governors Awards. The 91-year-old has been chosen as an honorary Oscar recipient because his “artistic genius and relentless creativity have made him one of the most influential musical figures of all time.” Indeed, he has spent more than six decades directly shaping the styles of dozens of films and inspiring countless other composers across multiple generations.
After taking an interest in music at an early age, a teenage Jones set out to become the innovative and admired artist he is today, with his earliest collaborators having included Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington. Throughout his storied career, he has also built strong working relationships with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson, with his production of Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad” albums constituting some of his greatest achievements.
Jones’s film work has earned him seven Oscar notices in four competitive categories, all but one of which had seen no Black nominees until he came along. After picking up both original score (“In Cold Blood”) and song (“Banning”) bids in 1968, he was recognized for his contributions to “For Love of Ivy” (1969; original song), “The Wiz” (1979; adapted score), and “The Color Purple” (1986; picture, original score, and original song).
In addition to crafting over 30 film scores, Jones has produced dozens of motion pictures and television programs, including “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Mad TV,” and the 2023 stage-to-screen adaptation of “The Color Purple.” His previous accolades include 28 Grammys from 80 nominations, an Emmy for scoring the 1977 miniseries “Roots,” a 2001 Kennedy Center Honor, and a 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
An honorary Oscar is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences of any discipline, or for outstanding service to the academy.” At least one of these awards has been conferred during or prior to all but 10 of the 96 Oscars ceremonies. Since 2009, they have been presented at a separate ceremony that takes place several months before the same year’s Oscars. Jones and his fellow honorees will collect their trophies on Sunday, November 17.
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