(CNN) -- It's difficult to overestimate Quincy Jones's contribution to American music. Over the last 60 years he has excelled as a musician, composer, record producer, arranger, conductor and media company executive. Quincy Jones has won 27 Grammy awards during his extraordinary career. In a career studded with landmarks, Jones produced Michael Jackson's multi-platinum albums "Off The Wall," "Bad" and "Thriller" -- the best selling album of all time -- and produced and conducted "We Are The World," one of the biggest-selling singles in history. Quincy Delight Jones Jr., known to his friends as "Q," was born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago. He moved to Seattle as a child and began playing trumpet aged 12. When he was 14 he befriended a young Ray Charles, who taught him how to arrange music, and Jones was soon playing bebop in nightclubs, backing up the likes of Billie Holiday.
@highlight
Quincy Jones has excelled as a musician, composer and record producer
@highlight
He produced Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall", "Bad" and "Thriller" albums
@highlight
He has won 27 Grammys and been nominated for seven Academy Awards
@highlight
He set up the Listen Up! Foundation, which works on various youth projects
Seattle
Perhaps because of his own upbringing in tough neighborhoods in Chicago and @placeholder, Jones has long been involved in social activism.
Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr.
Jones
Quincy Jones
In 1990, his life was chronicled in the movie "Listen Up: The Lives of @placeholder" and in 2001, Jones published "Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones."
Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr.
Jones
Quincy Jones
In 1990, his life was chronicled in the movie "Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones" and in 2001, Jones published "Q: The Autobiography of @placeholder."
Seattle
Of his own career, which has taken him from being a teenage musician in the clubs of @placeholder to a world-famous music mogul, Jones says, "You have to turn all of your drunken dreams into sober realizations.