Clive Davis, the lawyer turned one of the most influential executives in music, died at the age of 94 in his Manhattan apartment. His family confirmed the news. Weeks before he had been hospitalized for a respiratory problem.
“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts and tireless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” his publicist Aliza Rabinoff said in a family statement.
The eye for talent
Davis launched or resurrected the careers of superstars such as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys. He signed Houston as a teenager and turned her into the princess of pop. He also launched Keys and conceived Santana’s eight-time Grammy-winning album Supernatural. He got Rod Stewart to go from rock to the standards of the Great American Songbook.
Artists like Carlos Santana called him “visionary.” Michael Bublé said that he “believed in people and their dreams.” Patti Smith thanked him for half a century of “love and support.”
Born on April 4, 1932 in Brooklyn, the son of an electrician, he studied at New York University and Harvard Law. He joined Columbia Records as a lawyer and in 1967 he was president. He took a chance on black artists, signing to Philadelphia International Records in 1971.
In his later years he managed the careers of Barry Manilow, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. He is survived by his four children, eight grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, his cousin and his partner.
