Clive Davis, one of the most influential and famous music executives in the history of pop culture, has died at the age of 94. During his fascinating, 50-year career, he headed Columbia, Arista and J Records and discovered or launched the careers of stars such as Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys.
The life and career of Clive Davis in the music industry could be divided into three dramatic events, which brought ups and downs, a fall to the very bottom and a triumphant return. Although Davis graduated from the prestigious Harvard Law School and entered the music business in 1960 as an attorney for Columbia Records, it quickly became clear that his real talent was not in contracts but in music. He excelled at what the industry calls “a nose for hits.”
When he took over Columbia in 1967, the company was lagging behind the rock revolution. The turning point came after his visit to the famous festival in Monterey. He quickly understood the potential of the emerging scene and signed contracts with artists such as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Pink Floyd. He built a rock giant from a conservative label.
However, a hard fall came in May 1973. After an extensive internal and federal investigation, Davis was fired from the label on suspicion from embezzlement of company money in the amount of 94 thousand dollars. He was later charged with tax evasion, pleading guilty to one count and paying a fine.
Davis, however, was undaunted. In 1974, he founded the publishing house Arista Records, where he immediately found success with singer Barry Manilow and, surprisingly, with punk-rock poet Patti Smith. However, his masterpiece was the year 1983, when he signed a contract with a then unknown 19-year-old singer. Her name was Whitney Houston. Davis personally shaped her and became her mentor. The result was seven multi-platinum albums, including the record-breaking soundtrack to the movie Bodyguard.
After a quarter of a century at Arista and a series of corporate changes, the owners wanted to shut down and retire Davis in 2000. However, he refused and with a huge financial package, he founded his third label – J Records. In its first year of existence, it produced a new global superstar, Alicia Keys, whose debut album sold millions of copies and won multiple Grammy Awards.
