Clive Davis, one of the most influential music executives in the history of rock and pop, has died at the age of 94.
A former head of Columbia and Arista Records, he signed and shaped the careers of artists including Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Santana, Janis Joplin, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and many others.
He had recently been in hospital with respiratory problems and was recovering at home in Manhattan, New York, when he died, his family said.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” they said in a statement.
“He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.
“To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the centre of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love.”
Among those paying tribute was rock iconoclast Patti Smith.
“Thanking Clive Davis for transforming music, and on a very personal note, for believing in me, shepherding my efforts and a half century of your love and support,” she posted on Instagram following news of his death.
Born in Brooklyn on 4 April, 1932, he grew up in the Crown Heights neighbourhood.
He graduated from Harvard Law School and had no knowledge of the music industry when he took a job at Columbia Records at the age of 28 – but he took night classes to educate himself on copyright law, contracts and litigation.
Davis used that knowledge to help defeat a federal antitrust suit over Columbia’s mail-order record club; and successfully persuaded Bob Dylan to remain with the label, after his original deal became void when the singer turned 21.
He was promoted to vice president of the record label in 1965 and shortly after became president. Among the acts he signed were Santana, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and Springsteen, giving the label a new lease of life.
“I didn’t necessarily have an ear, but I think I developed one,” he later said.
“Whether there was a natural ear that was triggered, I don’t know the answer to that. But when you see a Joplin or a Springsteen, you know.”
Davis had a reputation for supporting artists, but his decisions could sometimes ruffle feathers.
After a playback for Simon and Garfunkel’s fifth album in 1970, he told the “aghast” artists that Cecilia shouldn’t be the first single.
“I felt Cecilia would be a hit but Bridge [Over Troubled Water] was something more,” he later told Simon’s biographer Robert Hilburn.
“Yes, it was a ballad; yes, it was lengthy,” he added, in a separate interview with the New York Times.
“But you’ve got to know when you have a home run. You can’t play everything by the rules.”
Two years later, he provided invaluable career advice to Bruce Springsteen, who had recently signed to Columbia for the princely sum of $25,000.
Watching the musician perform an early showcase, Davis noted that he rarely stepped away from the microphone, and offered a suggestion.
“I said, ‘Don’t do it if it’s not natural for you, but I know that the potential of the songs would lend itself to more physical movement on your part,’” Davis later recalled to People magazine.
A couple of weeks later, he went back to watch Springsteen at a club in Greenwhich.
“I was flabbergasted,” he said. “He jumped on every table… He was a whirling dervish.
“It was not just the movement, it was the spirit of it. It was electrifying.”
Afterwards, Davis went to speak to Springsteen backstage.
“I got to the dressing room. I remember opening the door and him looking up saying, ‘Clive, did I move around enough for you tonight?’”
Despite the success, he was ousted from Columbia when the company accused him of using company funds to pay for personal expenses, including his son’s bar mitzvah.
Davis was charged with six counts of tax evasion. He pleaded guilty on one count and was otherwise exonerated.
Within months, Davis had set up his own label, Arista. He immediately achieved commercial success by signing Barry Manilow; and critical acclaim for releasing Patti Smith’s influential debut album, Horses. (BBC News)
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