Clive Davis, the music executive who founded Arista Records and J Records and helped shape the careers of Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood and many others, died on Monday at his home in New York City. Rolling Stone has confirmed Davis’ death. He was 94.
Davis’ legacy in the music business spanned a remarkable seven decades amid varying genres of music. After being named president of Columbia Records in 1967 at age 35, Davis scored hits in each successive decade with a diverse group of now-iconic artists including Joplin, Barry Manilow, Houston, the Grateful Dead, The Notorious B.I.G., Keys and Kelly Clarkson. “He’s the ultimate long-term player,” Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s manager, told Rolling Stone in 2008. “He was a label head in the 1960s. He was on top then, and now, 40 years later, is still on top — that’s remarkable. I do not think you’ll see that happen again.”
Active in the music industry until his death – most notably hosting an annual pre-Grammy party that often eclipsed the awards show in both attention and spectacle – Davis, whom Franklin called “the greatest record man of all time,” developed a reputation during his career as both a tireless champion of artists and a shrewd businessman who expected significant returns on his investment. John Sykes, former president of network development at MTV, once said of Davis, “He can pick a hit and the next minute tell you the exact number of sales. He’s the only guy who can do that.” Added Keys in 2008: “He was the first record executive to ever ask what I wanted for myself.”
