Record company mogul Clive Davis is dead

Record company boss Clive Davis, who headed Columbia, Arista and J Records during his 50-year career, is dead.

He was 94-years old.

Davis developed and brought to the world the talent of Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, James Joplin, Santana, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, among many others.

During the early part of his career,  he was fired by Columbia only to bounce back with Arista Records, which launched Whitney Houston. 

After years at Arista, he was told to go into retirement but chose to form J Records, having great success there.

Of Clive Davis, record executive Charles Goldstuck said: “Clive was never willing to give up. No matter how tough or intractable a problem was he always believed that there was a solution. He would fight for the solution until he had it.”

Clive Davis set out to be a corporate lawyer but found himself at Columbia Records, where his talents were better suited to operations and managing artists rather than legal affairs.

He attended New York University before going on to Harvard Law School.

He transformed Columbia Records, signing some major acts. Davis had a talent for reading what was hot and spotting potential for greatness.

“When I started Arista, I was no longer heading the number one label in the industry. It was a brand-new company starting from scratch. I was hungry to be a major label. I needed multi-platinum, and the only way to get to be multi-platinum is with hit songs.”

Davis won four Grammy Awards and entered the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Reflecting on his life and legendary status in the music business, Davis once said: “ It’s hard to separate the life I’ve lived with my career, with contemporary music.

“I consider myself fortunate that over five decades and in a very tough business environment, music provided a lifetime of unexpected pleasure and gratification.”

Describing Whitney Houston’s talent, Davis remarked: “ Never has a voice so effortlessly or emotionally been able to bring the song home. She received standing ovations time and time again.”

Although Davis said he “never got rap music” he played a role in signing Notorious B.I.G. as a result of holding a 50 per cent stake in Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records label.

Davis also worked with Babyface and LaReid’s LaFace Records, signing Usher and TLC.

“ Music is a necessary ingredient in people’s lives. No matter what revolution is occurring in technology, it has to be understood that music will not be obsolete. People need music, and they’ve needed it for many years in many different ways, whether you go back to church traditions or other traditions in life.

“It’s a very, very natural basic ingredient that’s essential to the full enjoyment of life,” said the music impresario.