Quincy Jones Put A-List Superstars in Check — with Just a Sign! — for 'We Are the World.' Here's How He Did It

Mar. 15, 2025

Quincy Jones at A&M Records.Photo:Jim McCrary/Redferns

Jim McCrary/Redferns

Legendary music producerQuincy Joneshad a hand in some of the most impactful singles of the 20th and 21st centuries. With a career spanning over 70 years, Jones — whodied Sunday at age 91— worked with everyone fromMichael JacksontoAretha Franklin,Frank SinatratoLittle Richard. Producing for some of the biggest names in music is a feat in itself, but what happens when 46 of them are in the same room needing direction?

In 1985, Harry Belafonte masterminded a charity single for African famine relief after seeing the success of Band-Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” With the help of Ken Kragen, who bankrolled the massive production, a powerhouse team of Jackson andLionel Richieas songwriters plus Jones and Michael Omartian as producers were drafted for what would become"We Are the World."

The team was on a tight deadline to finalize the arrangement of the song. On Jan. 23, 1985, five days before the American Music Awardsandthefabled recording session, one of the song’s performers Al Jarreau gave Jones a call for details. The legendary producerissued a stern command: “After the American Music Awards, we all change out of our clothes, ’cause we don’t want to make a hunger record in tuxedos.”

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February 1984.Bob Riha Jr./Getty

Bob Riha Jr./Getty

Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Richie after winning four Grammy Awards for “We Are the World”.Bettmann/Getty

Bettmann/Getty

The song went on to hit No. 1 on the R&B singles chart, the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and theBillboardHot 100. Outside of the United States, the song being an international rallying cry successfully appealed to audiences overseas, also reaching No. 1 in Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

“We Are the World” even became the fastest-selling American pop single in history, with 800,000 copies selling out in three days.

In July 1985, four months after the song’s March release, USA for Africa raised over $10 million in record sales and public donations, plus an additional $45 million in merchandise sales. The organizers opted to focus on long-term efforts to assist Africa instead of giving the money all at once. The song has since raised over$80 millionfor humanitarian efforts, with 10% being saved for hunger efforts in the United States.

Quincy Jones, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards after winning a Grammy for “We Are the World”.Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Jones diedon Sunday, Nov. 3 at his Los Angeles home.

In a statement provided to theAssociated Press, the Jones family wrote, “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

“He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”

source: people.com