q notes: grammy hills and valleys
This edition of Q Notes was originally published in Billboard magazine in early 2008 to coincide with Quincy serving as ambassador of 50th anniversary celebration of the Grammys and the Recording Academy.
BY QUINCY JONES
The Grammy Awards turn 50 this year, believe it or not—and I’m honored I was asked to be the ambassador of the 50th anniversary celebration.
I was there at the start. I remember being at a meeting where people like Nesuhi Ertegun, John Hammond and George Avakian were talking about trying to create a recording academy. Johnny Mercer and some people at Capitol Records were trying to do the same thing.
It’s exciting to see something that’s a dream—just an idea—come to fruition. The Recording Academy has worked because of the collective aspect of it. It’s a tribal thing. You can be judged by your peers, by a criteria set by people who do the same thing you do. Broadway had it; film people had it. So we had to have it, too.
I’ve been told my 27 Grammys are the most trophies won by any living artist. But the late great conductor Sir Georg Solti has the most Grammy wins of all time, with 31. I met him once in Switzerland at Stravinsky Hall on Lake Geneva, where they do the Montreux Jazz Festival. He sat in his chair, with his arms folded and an attitude and said, “You and that moonwalking friend of yours will never catch up to me.” It was cute. I said, “Let’s not worry about that tonight; let’s just have a good time.” He was proud—and he should have been, because he did some great work.
I couldn’t pick my favorite Grammy. They all mean something to me—from the most recent one in 2002, best spoken word album for the audiobook of my autobiography, all the way back to my first one in 1964, best instrumental arrangement for Count Basie’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Barbra Streisand won her first Grammy that year, too.
This year, one of the songs nominated for best rap song is Kanye West’s “Good Life.” Kanye sampled “P.Y.T.,” a song James Ingram and I wrote for Michael Jackson more than 25 years ago.
Through the years, though I’ve won 27 Grammys, I’ve also lost 52. I know what it feels like on both sides, so I appreciate it when it works out. It’s like Count Basie used to say, “Young blood, there will always be hills and valleys. And the valleys help validate who you are when it gets rough out there.”
hi sir. quincy a happy new year eve.
The original piece of music has treasure inside.
The history of the audience is loaded in an original musical piece and continues maturing.
The music of quincy continues emitting light.
I sincerely wish (and believe) that Mr. QJ’s life is as fulfilling, elegant, fun, happy and thrilling as his music makes me (and almost everybody else I know) feel. Saying THANKS would be out of place, but…
You are a true inspirer, pushing boundaries all the time because you just need to in order to achieve what your beautiful imagination demands.
Right on, brother. Big time.
Cheers from Argentina.