Clive Davis, the Grammy-winning music mogul who founded Arista Records, has passed away at 94. Considered a legend by his peers, Davis mentored the singing sensation Whitney Houston. He helped resurrect some of the most iconic careers in history, several of which many considered past their prime. According to reports, Davis died on Monday at his New York City home.
Davis had an eye for greatness
A five-time Grammy winner, Davis founded Arista Records in 1974 after a successful tenure in senior posts at Columbia/CBS Records and later at Arista’s predecessor, Bell Records. When industry professionals turned their backs on artists “on their way out” of the game, Davis stepped up, reshaped their image, and helped them find prosperity when others looked the other way. Among Davis’ revitalizations are musical acts such as Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead, Santana, the Kinks, Dionne Warwick, and many more. Davis’ label also helped foster the careers of Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Air Supply, and Patti Smith.
One of Davis’ crowning achievements is nurturing the talent and career of the late Whitney Houston. Houston was a backup singer for artists like Lou Rawls, Chaka Khan, and Jermaine Jackson before Davis caught her act in New York. He believed in Houston and signed her to Arista in 1983. He mentored Houston, teaching her how to navigate the biz, and she eventually became the label’s best-selling artist, with 109 million in U.S. album sales.
Davis’ early days
Born on April 4, 1932, in Brooklyn, Davis worked as a lawyer and, at age 28 in the early 1960s, landed a job as assistant counsel at Columbia Records. He climbed the corporate ladder and eventually headed up the CBS-Columbia Group. While there, he signed and recorded albums with Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Santana, Donovan, Chicago, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, and Earth, Wind & Fire. The label fired Davis in 1973 for allegedly padding expense reports for personal use, but he was far from done. He became the head of CBS’s Bell Records, working closely with a young artist who was responsible for some of the most hypnotic commercial jingles of the time, such as “You Deserve a Break Today” for McDonald’s and “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There.”
Bell eventually became Arista Records, which signed some of Davis’s most enigmatic acts, like Aretha Franklin, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, and, of course, Carlos Santana. After Santana fell out of vogue in the 80s and 90s, Davis paired the legendary guitarist and his band with Rob Thomas, resulting in the album Supersonic and the hit track “Smooth.” The catchy single dominated the top of the Billboard 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, hitting number one in 10 other countries. That sound was impossible to escape.
Davis left Arista in 2000 and formed the indie label J Records. Over the next decade, Davis signed artists like Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Monica, Jamie Foxx, and others. From 2004-11, Davis managed RCA Music Group, whose labels included RCA Records, Jive Records, and LaFace Records. Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and was honored with the prestigious Grammy Trustee Award the same year.
Davis’s reach and influence know no bounds. As a visionary with a gift for elevating voices in the music industry that would last the test of time, he was a master. We want to extend our condolences to Davis’ family and friends, and thank him for his gifts to the world.
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