Clive Davis, the executive who steered Columbia, Arista and J Records to the pinnacle of the pop music business, died Monday at his Manhattan home, Variety has confirmed. He was 94.
Befitting a dramatic 50-year career that accounted for the sale of millions of records, Davis’ life in the music industry divided into three distinct acts.
In the late ‘60s, Davis lucratively moved staid Columbia into the rock business, signing or developing such talents as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Bruce Springsteen. But he was ejected from the company in 1973 for allegedly misusing corporate funds, and pleaded guilty to tax evasion.
He rebounded, famously, at Arista Records – an amalgamation of down-at-the-heels imprints owned by Columbia Pictures – where vocalist Whitney Houston was only the biggest and brightest star on a roster of top pop, rock and R&B acts.
A quarter century later, following an awkward merger between parent companies Sony and Bertelsmann, an attempt to push him out of Arista and into retirement resulted instead in his third act with J, a new imprint best known for launching singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.
