Quincy on ‘Brother Ray’
Ray Charles is just one of the music legends who was instrumental in Quincy’s life and is featured in Q’s acclaimed new coffee table book, The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions.
In the book, Ray is represented with a beautiful two-page, five-photo spread, which retraces their meeting at the Elk’s Club in Seattle, when the 14-year-old Q stopped in to check out a 16-year-old blind singer who was new in town.
The section goes on to chronicle their early friendship in Seattle and their reunion in the late ’50s and ’60s, when Ray sang the Alan and Marilyn Bergman-penned “In the Heat of the Night,” for the film of the same name, which was scored by Quincy. It also recounts their work together on “Black Requiem,” the late ’70s orchestral piece written by Q, featuring Ray performing with the Houston Symphony. Q and Ray went on to work together on USA for Africa’s “We Are the World” (pictured above) and “I’ll Be Good to You” with Chaka Khan, from Quincy’s 1989 Grammy-winning album Back on the Block. (See video below).
In the clip below, shot during Quincy’s recent book signing at Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica, Quincy — responding to a question by noted music journalist Don Heckman — reminisces about his “Brother Ray.”
I liked the post and your writing style. I’m adding you to my RSS reader.