Featured in Black Enterprise‘s March 2007, “50 Hollywood Power Brokers†issue as one of the godfathers of the entertainment business, music legend Quincy Jones is set to be honored along with his mentor, Clarence Avant, with a Trailblazer Award at Black Enterprise’s 2015 Entrepreneurs Summit. Hosted by Nationwide, this year’s summit takes place May 13-15 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and is packed full of panels, workshops, keynotes and events to empower business owners. The final night of the summit features the BE 100s Anniversary Celebration and Awards Dinner, where Jones will receive the Trailblazer Award.
[Related: 15 Business Quotes For Every Successful Entrepreneur]
Beginning his career at age 17 playing trumpet and arranging for Lionel Hampton, Jones has had the most Grammy nominations of all time (79), has won 27, has received seven Oscar nods, and was a 2001 Kennedy Center honoree. Having received honorary doctorates from higher education institutions including Harvard University, Howard University, Wesleyan University, Tuskegee University, and New York University, the musical genius has scored a dozen TV shows and more than 40 movies, including In the Heat of the Night
(1967), For Love of Ivy, The Getaway, In Cold Blood, and Curtis “50 Cent†Jackson’s Get Rich or Die Tryin.’It was Jones who worked on the musical score for The Wiz and went on to produce Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which sold more than 100 million records. Jones also made Hollywood history after introducing Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg to movie audiences in 1985’s The Color Purple. Scoring and co-producing the Oscar favorite with director Steven Spielberg, Jones was part of the production team that brought the musical version of The Colored Purple
to Broadway in 2005, with Winfrey serving as co-producer.Through Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment and a joint venture with Time Warner, Jones brought rappers to the small screen thanks to producing In the House with LL Cool J as the lead, and Will Smith’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, for which Jones also created the theme song. Taking comedy to FOX with MadTV, Jones is the only African American to have three shows on network TV in the 1990s. Having owned broadcast properties and magazines including Vibe
throughout his immaculate career, Jones is an icon who has paved the way for generations. And at 83, he continues to forge new paths today.The Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit hosted by Nationwide is set for May 13-16, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Expect innovative sessions, high-powered speakers, and an early peek at the products, trends, and services you’ll need to stay ahead of the curve. To register and find out more, visit www.blackenterprise.com/es/. Join us at the Entrepreneurs Summit, Where Innovation and Capital Meet.