In a candid interview earlier this year that marked one of his final on-stage appearances, music industry icon Clive Davis shared with his oldest son, Fred Davis, his reflections on the Columbia artist he was closest to — and how following his mother’s advice led to his legendary career in the music industry.
Related
Davis, who died on Monday (June 22) at his New York home at the age of 94, was known for his “golden ears,” which led him to sign and mentor superstars across genres, from Janis Joplin and Carlos Santana to Patti Smith, Barry Manilow and Maroon 5. In the conversation, which took place May 8 at the Amplify Music Investment Summit, Davis shared standout memories from his more than 50-year career, including how his “jaw dropped” the first time he heard Whitney Houston sing “The Greatest Love of All,” and how he coached a young Bruce Springsteen on how to improve his stage presence.
Davis worked with Springsteen when he was a teenager in the early 1970s, recalling that he was a “unique artist, great in his own right,” such that Davis had a video made for every employee of Columbia Records to reference so that they would “not call him another Bob Dylan. [That would have been] the kiss of death.”
