Topline<\/p>\n
Clive Davis, the legendary music mogul who died at age 94 on Monday, spent his decades-long career as one of the industry\u2019s most powerful record label executives cultivating the careers of iconic musicians, including billionaire Bruce Springsteen and the late Whitney Houston.<\/p>\n
Clive Davis with Aretha Franklin and Barry Manilow, two of his biggest artists. (Photo by Theo Wargo\/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)<\/p>\n
gettyKey Facts<\/p>\n
Davis signed Springsteen, who would later become one of the world\u2019s wealthiest musicians (with an estimated net worth<\/a> of $1.2 billion), to Columbia Records in 1972, saying in a 2013 interview he was initially impressed with Springsteen\u2019s lyrics but did not expect him to become \u201ca rock-and-roll performer second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston, who placed on Forbes\u2019 list of the highest-paid<\/a> deceased celebrities in 2024, was one of Davis\u2019 most famous discoveries, earning a record deal with his Arista Records in 1983 at 19 years old, and Davis mentored her throughout her career as she became known as one of the industry\u2019s most iconic voices.<\/p>\n Davis was credited with revitalizing Aretha Franklin\u2019s career after signing her to Arista in 1980, and he later recalled<\/a> her asking him, \u201cCould I have hits again?\u201d<\/p>\n One of Davis\u2019 earliest hits on his Arista label, a rebranding of the Bell Records label he took over in 1974, was \u201cMandy\u201d by Barry Manilow, which became Manilow\u2019s first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n Many successful artists signed to Davis\u2019 Arista label, including Lou Reed, the Grateful Dead, Patti Smith and Dionne Warwick.<\/p>\n In 2000, Davis founded J Records, which helped launch the careers of some of the biggest artists of the 2000s, including Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson.<\/p>\n news peg<\/p>\n Davis died at age 94 on Monday, his family confirmed. On Davis\u2019 official Instagram<\/a> account, his family honored him as an \u201ciconic music legend\u201d whose ear for talent \u201cshaped the soundtrack of countless lives.\u201d Davis had been hospitalized<\/a> earlier this month for an upper respiratory issue. <\/p>\n big number<\/p>\n 4. That\u2019s how many competitive Grammy Awards<\/a> Davis won, on all of which he was credited as a producer. He won his first pair of Grammys in 2000, winning the most coveted prize\u2014Album of the Year\u2014and Best Rock Album for \u201cSupernatural\u201d by the rock group Santana, whose career he was credited with revitalizing after he signed them to Arista Records in the 1990s. Davis also won Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album for Clarkson\u2019s \u201cBreakaway\u201d in 2006 and Best R&B Album for Hudson\u2019s self-titled album in 2009. He won the Recording Academy\u2019s Trustees Award<\/a> in 2000, an honorary award given to individuals who have made \u201csignificant contributions, other than performance,\u201d to music. Davis received additional Grammy nominations for music by Houston, Manilow and Leona Lewis.<\/p>\n key background<\/p>\n Davis, born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1932, started his career as a lawyer at a small firm before practicing in-house at Columbia Records, where he rose through the ranks to become the label\u2019s president in 1967. That year, he attended the Monterey Pop Festival, where he watched<\/a> the Janis Joplin-fronted Big Brother and the Holding Company, which Davis later said made his \u201cspine tingle, my arms vibrate,\u201d realizing rock music would be \u201cthe future.\u201d Joplin became one of the first discoveries he made while leading Columbia, though he was ousted in 1973 for allegedly misappropriating $94,000 of label funds for personal expenses. Davis was then hired by Bell Records, which he rebranded to Arista\u2014and today is still a label under Sony Music Entertainment\u2014where he built a lengthy and diverse roster of artists. BMG Music, Arista\u2019s parent company, replaced<\/a> Davis for a younger leader, after which he threatened to leave instead of taking a secondary role. BMG then offered to invest in a new label headed by Davis, leading him to launch J Records in 2000. Until his death, Davis served as the chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment.<\/p>\n further reading<\/p>\n 11 Essential Songs Shepherded by Clive Davis<\/a> (New York Times)<\/p>\n