Rickey Minor on Serving as Music Director of 2024 Oscars & What Quincy Jones Told Him to Never Say
Written by djfrosty on March 5, 2024
Rickey Minor has been busy lately, serving as music director of the Kennedy Center Honors in December and the Primetime Emmys in January, but there was never any question that he’d say yes to serving as music director of the 96th Oscars, which are set for Sunday (March 10).
“This is the crème de la crème,” he says of the Oscars. “We’re closing in on 100 years of this, so for me, this is an honor. Before me, there were many [music directors] and there will be many more after, but for now I am basking in the opportunity to create and to add value however I can.”
This will be the fourth time in six years that Minor has served as the Oscars’ music director. In the pandemic year of 2021, when a scaled-down show was held at Union Station in Los Angeles, Questlove took over as music director. The following year, Adam Blackstone got the nod, owing to a long-standing relationship he had with that year’s producers, Will Packer and Shayla Cowan.
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In addition to the Kennedy Center Honors and Primetime Emmys, Minor recently worked on the Governor’s Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the In Memoriam spot on the Grammys. His main contribution to the Grammy segment was the spot in which Stevie Wonder paid tribute to Tony Bennett. As he mentions Bennett, whom he calls “my hero,” Minor pulls a Bennett poster off the wall of his office to serve as a visual aid.
“Now that the strike is over, the year just kind of exploded,” Minor says of all this work, adding, “It’s a good problem to have.”
So, after these back-to-back-back shows, if he got another offer for a job after the Oscars, would he decline and say he needs a break? Don’t count on it. “I will show up at the opening of an envelope,” he says with a smile.
“I love this business and I love making music. So, I literally just drop everything and go and do it. For me, it’s a gift. Most people don’t get to wake up every day and do what they love.”
Asked what other music directors he learned the most from, Minor immediately mentions Quincy Jones, whose many trailblazing achievements include being the first Black music director on the Oscars.
“To see what he has done, and then for him to take me on and mentor me and help me through the business part of it [means a lot]. I would play for free because I love it so much,” he raves. “He said, ‘Don’t ever say that again. That’s the first rule.’ Now when people call me and say, ‘Hey, I’m just checking to see are you free on this day,’ I say ‘I’m never free. I’m available but I’m never free.’ He taught me the ins-and-outs of the business and how to prepare.
“There are so many more, including Harold Wheeler,” Minor continues. “As a young bass player, I did a lot of awards shows. When I became music director for Whitney Houston, I didn’t know what to ask for or how deals were done, so he helped me find an attorney to do the deal. I didn’t know the business side.”
Minor also credits Bill Ross and Bill Conti. “All those guys I worked under and really learned from watching.”
Minor learned that he had the job on the Oscars in October, but his appointment wasn’t announced until Feb. 9, as part of a larger announcement of this year’s Oscar team.
As music director, Minor takes charge of finding walk-on music for people booked on the show and music leading into and out of commercials. “We have some pieces from France, from Africa — from all over the world,” he says. Minor is trying to work in some songs that are new for the Oscars, as well as favorite pieces by such composers as Henry Mancini, Jones and Lalo Schifrin.
This year’s Oscars will include performances of all five nominated songs. Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will perform “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie. Billie Eilish and Finneas will perform “What Was I Made For? From Barbie. Becky G will perform “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot. Jon Batiste will perform “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony. Scott George and The Osage Singers will perform “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon.
In addition, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny and Zendaya have been announced as presenters, among others. Asked if Grande will also sing on the program, Minor is coy. “I want to hear her sing always,” Minor said. “She can sing the phone book and she’ll get your attention.”
Minor has received 15 Emmy Award nominations for outstanding music direction, winning twice. He has been nominated three times for his work on the Oscars, three times for The Kennedy Center Honors, twice for the Grammy Awards and twice for “Grammy Salutes” specials to the Bee Gees and Aretha Franklin. He has also been nominated for the following specials: Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Chaka Khan, Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House, Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America and Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special.
The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, and in more than 200 territories worldwide.