Clive Davis Timeline

Clive Davis 31

1932 Clive Davis born in Brooklyn — loss defines his ambition Clive Jay Davis is born on 4 April 1932 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, to Herman Davis, a salesman, and Florence Grossman Davis. His childhood is shaped by loss: his father dies when Clive is 10, his mother when he is 18. He is largely raised by relatives and driven by a fierce determination to achieve financial security and status. He wins a scholarship to New York University and subsequently to Harvard Law School — the first in his family to attend university, let alone Harvard. Law is the path, not a passion.
1956 Harvard Law School — unlikely path to music Davis graduates from Harvard Law School in 1956, one of the few Jewish students in his class. He joins the New York law firm of Rosenman Colin Kaye Petschek & Freund and within a few years is made a partner. One of the firm's clients is CBS Inc. In 1960, CBS offers him a job as in-house counsel. Davis accepts — attracted by the prestige and the salary. His transition from law to the music business is entirely accidental: he has no particular passion for music and no experience in the industry. What he has is an extraordinary ear and an instinct for commercial potential that will prove more valuable than any musical training.
1960 – 1965 CBS Records legal department — learning the industry Davis joins CBS Inc. as a lawyer in 1960, working primarily on music business contracts and corporate matters. He works his way into the CBS Records division and absorbs the music industry's workings — contracts, royalties, A&R (artists and repertoire), promotion, distribution. He has a remarkable ability to listen to a song and immediately assess its commercial potential. By 1965 he is running the business affairs of Columbia Records, CBS's flagship label. His rise within CBS is a function of his intelligence, his work ethic and his political skill in navigating corporate hierarchies.
1965 General manager of Columbia Records Davis is appointed general manager of Columbia Records in 1965 — a label then dominated by classical music and middle-of-the-road pop. Columbia has the prestige of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck and Johnny Mathis but has entirely missed the rock revolution. Davis recognises that the cultural centre of gravity has shifted to young rock audiences and sets about transforming Columbia into the definitive rock label. His instrument is the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967.
1967 Signs Janis Joplin and Big Brother Davis signs Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company at Monterey in 1967. Their Columbia debut 'Cheap Thrills' (1968) reaches Number 1 and sells over a million copies. Joplin's raw, blues-drenched voice is unlike anything on Columbia's roster. The signing signals Davis's willingness to take risks on unconventional artists — a philosophy that will define his career. Joplin dies of a heroin overdose in 1970, aged 27; her posthumous album 'Pearl' (1971), recorded under Davis's supervision, is her masterpiece.
1967 Signs Santana Davis signs Carlos Santana's band — then unsigned and largely unknown outside San Francisco — in 1967. Santana's debut album (1969), featuring the hit 'Evil Ways,' sells over two million copies and establishes Santana as a major act. Santana's blend of rock, blues and Afro-Cuban rhythms is something entirely new in mainstream music. Davis's willingness to sign Santana without a proven record reflects his confidence in his own ears — he heard something no other major label executive had recognised.
1967 Monterey Pop Festival — the awakening Davis attends the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967 — the first major rock festival, featuring Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Ravi Shankar and Otis Redding. He is electrified. He signs Janis Joplin (with Big Brother and the Holding Company) on the spot and returns to New York determined to transform Columbia. He tells his staff: 'We have to sign rock acts or we will become irrelevant.' He signs Blood, Sweat & Tears, Santana and Laura Nyro in rapid succession. The Monterey revelation transforms Davis from a corporate lawyer into a talent visionary.
1968 President of Columbia Records Davis is appointed President of Columbia Records in 1967, the youngest president in the label's history. Under his leadership Columbia becomes the most commercially successful and artistically prestigious record label in America. He oversees a roster that spans rock, soul, jazz and pop: Janis Joplin, Santana, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Blood Sweat & Tears, Laura Nyro, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith. Columbia's revenues triple during his tenure. He is the most powerful man in the American music industry.
1969 Blood, Sweat & Tears win Grammy over Abbey Road Blood, Sweat & Tears — signed by Davis and featuring David Clayton-Thomas — win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1970 for their self-titled album, beating the Beatles' Abbey Road. The victory is Columbia's and Davis's: he had signed the band, overseen their transformation and championed their album. The Grammy is a validation of his instinct that jazz-influenced rock was commercially viable. Davis attends the ceremony and accepts the industry's recognition of Columbia's transformation under his leadership.
1972 Signs Bruce Springsteen Davis signs Bruce Springsteen to Columbia in 1972 after a legendary audition at which Springsteen plays alone with an acoustic guitar. Davis is immediately convinced of his genius. 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.' (1973) and 'The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle' (1973) are both released before Davis is fired. But it is Davis who brings Springsteen to Columbia — the label that will release 'Born to Run' (1975) and every subsequent Springsteen album. Davis never lets anyone forget that he discovered Springsteen.
1973 Fired from Columbia — expense account scandal Davis is fired from Columbia Records on 29 May 1973 — one of the most shocking corporate dismissals in music industry history. CBS accuses him of misusing company funds for personal expenses, including renovations to his apartment. The accusations are partly true and partly a pretext for removing a president who had become more famous and powerful than his corporate superiors were comfortable with. Davis denies wrongdoing and the matter is eventually settled without criminal charges. He is devastated — but begins planning his next move almost immediately.
1974 Founds Arista Records Davis founds Arista Records in November 1974 — named after the honour society at his alma mater, DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. Arista is distributed by Columbia (Davis's former employer, now obliged to work with him). With no roster and a small budget, Davis builds Arista from scratch into one of the most commercially successful independent labels of the 1970s and 1980s. His first signings include Barry Manilow — then a backup musician and accompanist — whose debut single 'Mandy' goes to Number 1 in January 1975.
1975 Barry Manilow — manufactured superstardom Davis takes Barry Manilow — then working as Bette Midler's musical director and arranger, known to industry insiders but not the public — and shapes him into one of the best-selling artists of the late 1970s. Davis selects his songs, oversees his production and manages his image. Manilow has five consecutive Number 1 singles between 1975 and 1977: 'Mandy,' 'I Write the Songs,' 'Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again,' 'Weekend in New England' and 'Looks Like We Made It.' Davis's ability to identify and develop commercial potential in an artist who needed shaping — not just raw talent — becomes his signature.
1975 Signs Patti Smith Davis signs Patti Smith — the punk poet and rock iconoclast — to Arista in 1975, releasing 'Horses,' produced by John Cale. The album is a landmark of punk and art rock. The signing of Smith alongside Barry Manilow demonstrates Davis's range: he can simultaneously champion commercial pop and uncompromising artistic vision. Critics who dismiss Davis as a purely commercial operator miss this dimension of his taste. Smith and Davis maintain a respectful relationship despite their different artistic temperaments.
1977 Arista signs the Kinks, Lou Reed and Grateful Dead Through the late 1970s Davis expands Arista's roster aggressively, signing major rock acts: the Kinks, Lou Reed, the Grateful Dead and Alan Parsons Project. He also develops Arista's Atlanta Rhythm Section into a major Southern rock act. The label's commercial success gives Davis the financial foundation to take risks. His annual pre-Grammy parties — where he previews new music for industry insiders — become the most important social event in the music business, a tradition he maintains for decades.
1979 Discovers Whitney Houston — the greatest find Davis first sees Whitney Houston perform at a New York nightclub in 1983, backing her mother Cissy Houston. She is 19 years old. Davis is immediately certain she is the greatest raw talent he has ever heard. He signs her to Arista in 1983 and spends two years developing her debut album, personally selecting every song. Whitney Houston's self-titled debut (1985) becomes the best-selling debut album by a female artist in history, producing three consecutive Number 1 singles. Houston is the crowning achievement of Davis's career as a talent developer.
1985 Whitney Houston debut — best-selling female debut ever Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album, released in February 1985 on Arista, is the best-selling debut album by a solo female artist in history, selling over 22 million copies worldwide. Three singles reach Number 1: 'Saving All My Love for You,' 'How Will I Know' and 'Greatest Love of All.' Davis selects every song on the album personally. The album establishes a template for the polished, gospel-inflected R&B pop that dominates radio through the late 1980s and 1990s. Davis and Houston become the most successful artist-executive partnership in music history.
1987 Whitney Houston — "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" Whitney Houston's second album 'Whitney' (1987) becomes the first album by a female artist to debut at Number 1 on the Billboard 200. 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)' spends two weeks at Number 1. Davis oversees every aspect of the album's production, song selection and marketing. Houston wins her second Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. The commercial machinery Davis builds around Houston is the most effective in popular music history — combining her extraordinary voice with impeccable song selection and production.
1992 The Bodyguard soundtrack — 45 million copies The Bodyguard soundtrack (1992), featuring Whitney Houston's recording of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You,' becomes the best-selling soundtrack album in history with over 45 million copies sold worldwide. Davis selects the song — Parton's original was a modest country hit — and the decision to have Houston perform it a cappella at the start is Davis's. The song spends 14 weeks at Number 1, still the record for a female artist. 'I Will Always Love You' is the defining achievement of the Davis-Houston partnership.
1993 Pre-Grammy party — music industry institution Davis's annual pre-Grammy party — held the night before the Grammy Awards — becomes the most coveted invitation in the music business. The party, which Davis hosts personally and uses to debut new artists and celebrate current ones, is attended by every major figure in music, film and television. It functions simultaneously as a showcase for his current roster, a networking event for the industry and a personal statement of his taste and power. The party continues for over 40 years, surviving Davis's corporate transitions.
1994 Signs TLC and develops urban music Davis expands Arista into urban contemporary music in the early 1990s, signing TLC — the best-selling American girl group of all time — through LaFace Records, a joint venture with producers Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Babyface. TLC's 'CrazySexyCool' (1994) sells over 11 million copies in the US alone and wins two Grammy Awards. The LaFace partnership gives Arista a dominant position in R&B and hip-hop, complementing its pop roster. Davis's willingness to share creative control with Reid and Babyface reflects his pragmatism.
1995 Signs Sarah McLachlan and Toni Braxton Arista signs Sarah McLachlan in the mid-1990s; her Arista debut 'Surfacing' (1997) sells over 16 million copies worldwide and produces 'Building a Mystery' and 'Angel.' Toni Braxton signs with LaFace/Arista and wins six Grammy Awards. Davis's roster simultaneously encompasses Whitney Houston, Patti Smith, TLC, Sarah McLachlan and Toni Braxton — a range that no other label executive maintains. His taste genuinely spans genres; he is not merely following commercial trends.
1999 Forced out of Arista by BMG Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), which had acquired Arista in 1979, forces Davis out of the label he founded in 1999 — replacing him with L.A. Reid. The dismissal echoes his Columbia firing 26 years earlier: in both cases a corporate parent removes a powerful executive whose personal brand has overshadowed the company's. Davis is 67 years old. Most people in the industry assume his career is effectively over. They are wrong.
2000 Founds J Records — third label, second act Davis founds J Records in 2000, backed by BMG (the same company that just fired him from Arista). At 68, he launches his third major label. His first signing: Rod Stewart, whom Davis transforms from an ageing rock star into an unlikely franchise with a series of Great American Songbook albums. Stewart's 'It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook' (2002) reaches Number 4 on the Billboard 200. Davis then signs Alicia Keys — his greatest discovery of the new millennium.
2001 Signs Alicia Keys — Songs in A Minor Davis signs Alicia Keys — a 19-year-old singer, songwriter and pianist from New York — to J Records in 2001. Her debut album 'Songs in A Minor' sells 236,000 copies in its first week, the biggest debut week for any artist in Davis's career to that point. It goes on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide. Keys wins five Grammy Awards for the album. Davis's ability to identify and develop a major artist at 69 — nearly 40 years into his career — is extraordinary. Keys calls Davis 'the greatest music man who ever lived.'
2002 Discovers Jennifer Hudson Davis champions Jennifer Hudson after her elimination from American Idol Season 3 in 2004, signing her and overseeing her career development. Hudson's debut album (2008) and her Oscar-winning performance in 'Dreamgirls' (2006) establish her as a major star. Davis's ability to recognise world-class talent in an elimination show contestant — and his willingness to bet on her after the public voted her off — is another demonstration of his independence from popular consensus.
2004 Autobiography and Grammy MusiCares honour Davis publishes his memoir 'The Soundtrack of My Life' in 2013 — the most comprehensive account of the American music industry over five decades ever written. He is honoured as MusiCares Person of the Year in 2000 and receives the Grammy Trustees Award. He is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer in 2000. These honours recognise not just commercial success but Davis's role in shaping the sound of American popular music across six decades.
2012 Whitney Houston dies — Davis delivers eulogy Whitney Houston dies on 11 February 2012, the eve of Davis's annual pre-Grammy party, found drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She is 48. Davis delivers the eulogy at her funeral in Newark, New Jersey — a deeply personal tribute that speaks to their 29-year relationship. The pre-Grammy party goes ahead as scheduled, at Houston's family's request. Houston's death is the greatest personal and professional loss of Davis's life. He subsequently champions the release of her posthumous recordings.
2013 "The Soundtrack of My Life" — comes out as bisexual Davis publishes his autobiography 'The Soundtrack of My Life' in February 2013, in which he reveals that he is bisexual — having had relationships with both women and men. The disclosure, made at 80, is received with widespread respect and support from the music industry. Davis has been married twice (to women) and has four children. The autobiography is both a professional memoir of extraordinary scope and a personal reckoning with a life kept largely private. It becomes a New York Times bestseller.
2015 Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment Davis serves as Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment — a role created specifically for him — continuing to attend recording sessions, mentor artists and champion new talent well into his 80s. His longevity in a youth-obsessed industry is without parallel. He signs Harry Connick Jr., Usher and other major artists in his later years, demonstrating that his ear has not diminished. Davis's continued relevance at an age when most executives have retired is the most remarkable aspect of his remarkable career.
2023 Still active at 91 — a career without parallel At 91, Clive Davis remains active in the music industry as Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment — attending sessions, listening to new artists and opining on the direction of popular music. No record executive in history has maintained influence and relevance across as many decades or discovered as many artists of enduring significance. From Janis Joplin to Alicia Keys — 35 years of discoveries — Davis's career spans the entire arc of the modern American music industry. His annual pre-Grammy party continues, a living monument to his endurance.