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.”
Born in Brooklyn on April 4, 1932, 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. 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.
Despite his success, he was ousted from Columbia when the company accused him of using company funds to pay for personal expenses. 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.”
Davis signed Whitney Houston in 1983, when she was just 19 years old, then spent years hunting for producers and writers who could make the most of her voice. When her self-titled debut album was finally released in 1985, it contained three US number one singles and sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
His instincts paid off again when Houston released her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Davis insisted that the song should start with a 40-second a capella, against the wishes of producer David Foster. It subsequently became her biggest-selling song, topping the US singles chart for 14 weeks.
Across his career, he worked for several record labels, including Columbia, Arista, RCA, Sony and J Records. His work earned him five Grammy Awards, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer in 2000.
Speaking in 2016, he said the secret to his career was trusting in music, no matter how the industry changed. “Music is a necessary ingredient in people’s lives. No matter what revolution is occurring in technology, it has to understand that music will not be obsoleted. People need music, and they’ve needed it for many years in many different ways.”
