Quincy Jones to Be Honored at Spotify’s Secret Genius Awards 

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The goal of Spotify’s Secret Genius program is to shine a light on people behind the scenes — songwriters, producers, engineers and mixers — of the world’s most popular and influential songs. And while he’s hardly shy, Quincy Jones has certainly been one of the towering figures behind many classic songs since the 1960s, ranging from Michael Jackson and Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion — and on Nov. 16 he will receive the second “Legendary Genius Honor” at ’s Secret Genius Awards on November 16 at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.

“Big-time love and props to Spotify for taking an important step in the industry by spotlighting the many geniuses behind the scenes,” Jones said in a statement. “It has been absolutely incredible to have collaborated with so many different artists throughout the last seven decades and it is an absolute honor to have been chosen as a recipient of the Legendary Genius Honor. Thank-Q Spotify, and I hope my work will serve as an inspiration to the next generation of creators.”

Jones has a record 79 Grammy nominations, was honored with the Grammy Legend Award in 1991, John F. Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. As a special tribute to Jones, 2X Grammy Award Winning artist, and Jones-protégé, Jacob Collier will perform with world-renowned trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf.

Jones was in headlines earlier this year due to an extraordinary interview he gave with Vulture , in which he said, among other things, that he knows who killed John F. Kennedy and that he dated Ivanka Trump when she was 24 and he was 72.

Last year’s honoree was Rick Rubin , while songwriter Starrah and producer-songwriter Mike Elizondo also won big.

The Secret Genius Awards are made up of 14 categories and include Songwriter of the Year, Producer of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year, Social Message and more. A complete list of Secret Genius Awards nominees can be found  here .