''The Color Purple: Music From the Motion Picture'' is the soundtrack album to the film of the same name released in November 1986 by

Qwest Records Qwest Records is the American record label started by Quincy Jones in 1980 as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, and owned by Warner Music Group, although Jones was still under contract with A&M Records through 1981. George Benson's 1980 ...

. It consists of an original score composed by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

and original songs performed by various artists. The score of the film combines elements of classical and period jazz, blues, and gospel, and features several popular songs of the 1880s.

Critical reception and accolades

The soundtrack to the ''Color Purple'' garnered positive reviews from music critics. It was praised for its production and

Táta Vega Táta Vega (born Carmen Rosa Vega, October 7, 1951) is an American vocalist, whose career spans theater, film, and a variety of musical genres. Early life Vega was born in Jamaica Queens, New York and raised between New York, Chicago, Texas, P ...

's vocal performance with Vega featured on four songs from the album. The song, "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)", is sung by the character Shug Avery, played by

Margaret Avery Margaret Avery (born April 15, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including '' Cool Breeze'' (1972), ''Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), ''Scott Joplin'' (1977), and ''T ...

in the film but whose singing voice is dubbed by Vega. Music from the film was nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

: Best Original Score and

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. The soundtrack peaked at number 55 on the ''Billboard''

Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart.

Single

Miss Celie's Blues Miss Celie's Blues, also known as "Sister", is a song from the Steven Spielberg movie ''The Color Purple'' (1985), with music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton and lyrics by the two of them with Lionel Richie, performed by Táta Vega. The song was n ...

(Sister)" by

was released as a single to support the album. It was composed in a blues/ragtime style.

Track listing

Disc 1

# Overture - 7:56 # Celie Leaves With Mr. - 3:22 # Corrine and Olivia - 3:06 # Nettie Teaches Celie - 4:22 # The Separation - 2:53 #Celie and Harpo Grow Up/ - 2:43 # Careless Love - 0:56 # Sophia Leaves Harpo - 2:39 # Celie Cooks Shug Breakfas - 1:24 #Junk Bucket Blues (78 RPM) - 1:48 # The Dirty Dozens - 3:13 # Miss Celie's Blues (Sister) - 2:29 # Don't Make Me No Never Mi -3:05 # My Heart (Will Always Lea) - 1:38 # Three On the Road - 0:25 # Bus Pulls Out - 0:51

Disc 2 (Score Album)

# The First Letter - 5:04 # Letter Search - 3:08 # Nettie's Letters - 0:59 # High Life / Proud Theme - 1:08 # J.B. King - 0:38 # Heaven Belongs to You - 1:02 # Katutoka Corrine - 1:01 # Celie Shaves Mr./ Scarif - 3:13 # I'm Here - 1:51 # Champagne Train - 2:36 # Celie's New House/ Body - 4:13 # Maybe God Is Tryin' to Tell You Something - 4:38 # Reunion / Finale - 4:37

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Color Purple 1986 soundtrack albums 1980s film soundtrack albums Quincy Jones soundtracks Qwest Records soundtracks