New Order and Peter Hook pay tribute to Quincy Jones: “He made us big in America”

nme.com:

New Order and Peter Hook have paid tribute to their former collaborator Quincy Jones, who they say “made us big in America”.The legendary producer and songwriter died on Sunday (November 3), aged 91.

His long career saw him collaborate with the likes of Ray Charles, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, and he went on to produce Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, to this day the biggest selling album of all time.Among the countless great artists Jones impacted was New Order, who were signed to Qwest Records in the US, Jones’ own label.

In 1988, Jones also remixed the Manchester band’s classic single ‘Blue Monday’ alongside John Potoker, which was released under the title ‘Blue Monday 1988’ and reached Number Three on the UK charts, surpassing the song’s original high of Number Nine.Writing on X/Twitter, New Order founding bassist Hook shared his tribute to the producer. “It’s so sad to hear about Quincy Jones,” he said. “When he signed us to his label, he made us feel so welcome – inviting us to dinner at his home every time we were in town.

He made us big in America. He was so humble & sweet that you immediately fell in love with him.”And to this day I still got a lovely message from him every year on Christmas and birthday cards!