Clive Davis, the legendary music executive who shepherded the careers of such stars as Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys, died on Monday (June 22) at his home in New York from age-related illness. He was 94.
Davis rose to prominence while serving as president of Columbia Records from 1967 to 1973, before founding his own label, Arista, where he signed Manilow and stars including Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith and Dionne Warwick, among many others. In 2000, he founded J Records, which was responsible for launching acts including Keys and Maroon 5 to superstardom.
Known as “The Man With the Golden Ears,” Davis became an industry icon for helping shape the popular sound of genres including pop, rock, R&B and hip-hop during a career that spanned more than 60 years. In the process, he signed and mentored such legendary artists as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Alan Jackson, Luther Vandross, Kenny G, Usher, Rod Stewart and Jennifer Hudson.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” said the Davis family 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 center of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love. No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved.
“Through every chapter of his remarkable life, family remained Clive’s greatest pride and deepest joy. Today, we celebrate not only a towering figure whose influence changed music forever, but the man who led our family with grace, generosity, and kindness. We will miss him greatly, cherish him always, and carry his love with us for the rest of our lives.”
After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1956, Davis began his music business career in the legal department of Columbia Records at age 28. In 1967, he rose to president of Columbia’s parent company CBS Records, where he signed Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company after seeing them perform at the Monterey Pop Festival. While at CBS, Davis demonstrated a knack for signing other future stars, including Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Aerosmith.
When he was fired from CBS Records in 1973 after being accused of misappropriating company funds, which he denied, Davis formed his own label, Arista Records, where he plucked Patti Smith from relative obscurity to release her immensely successful 1975 debut album Horses. During that period, he continued to show a rare instinct for understanding what would resonate with the public, signing groups including The Kinks and the Grateful Dead to the burgeoning label. He also helped engineer comebacks for a number of older stars whose careers had lost some of their shimmer, from Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick to Santana, whose 1999 collaborative album Supernatural went multi-platinum and scored a total of nine Grammy wins, including album of the year.
Davis’ biggest success at Artista came when he signed Whitney Houston, the younger cousin of Arista artist Dionne Warwick. On the release of her 1985 self-titled debut album, Houston shot to fame with a trio of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “How Will I Know,” “Saving All My Love for You” and “Greatest Love of All.” Houston went on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time, notching a total of 11 No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 during the course of a career that was cut short with her death in 2012. Following her untimely passing, Davis delivered a eulogy that began, “You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. You wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that for a lifetime. And when one person embodies it all, well it takes your breath away.”
Despite being in his late 60s when he departed Arista at the turn of the millennium, Davis wasn’t content to slow down. In 2000, he launched another successful venture with J Records, an independent label that scored backing from Arista’s parent company Bertelsmann Music Group and was distributed through RCA. There, Davis launched another generational talent, Alicia Keys, whose debut album, 2001’s Songs in A Minor, included the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Fallin’” and was eventually certified seven-times platinum by the RIAA.
In 2002, after BMG purchased a majority stake in J Records, Davis was named president and CEO of RCA Music Group. He remained in that role until 2008, when, at age 76, he was named chief creative officer at Sony BMG, and, later chief creative officer at Sony Music Entertainment, a title he held until his death. He published an autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life, in 2013.
Davis is survived by his sons Fred, Doug and Mitchell; daughter Lauren; eight grandchildren, Austin, Charlie, Matthew, Hayley, Harper, Sloane, Billie and Cody; two great grandchildren; cousin Jo Schuman; and partner Greg Schriefer.
