#51
Posted: 2/20/13 at 1:35pm
Clive Davis is indeed an egomaniac, a control freak and a jerk- but he is also, by far, the most successful music executive ever. In the 60's he headed up Columbia records and was as responsible as anyone for the boom in folk and rock music- among his Columbia signings were Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Laura Nyro, Santana, Chicago, Earth Wing & Fire, Aerosmith- He could have retired when he left Columbia and still be thought of as a legend.
But after getting dumped by Columbia he took over a fourth-string label called Bell, fired everyone there except a singer named Barry Manilow (who had been hitless till then) and renamed it Arista- He specialized for a while in rejuvenating old careers, giving Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick and the Grateful Dead huge second careers. He did break new artists there too, making Arista a HUGE Country powerhouse and giving L A Reid, Babyface and Sean Combs their big breaks- and driving Arista to the biggest label in the USA. Oh and did I mention Whitney?
Clive started J Records in 2000 then sold it to become head of BMG and (after a merger) Sony/BMG the biggest record company in the world. A few superstars I missed: Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Bruce Springsteen, Notorious B I G...
Yes, he's a conceited jerk but honestly, I can see why.
But after getting dumped by Columbia he took over a fourth-string label called Bell, fired everyone there except a singer named Barry Manilow (who had been hitless till then) and renamed it Arista- He specialized for a while in rejuvenating old careers, giving Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick and the Grateful Dead huge second careers. He did break new artists there too, making Arista a HUGE Country powerhouse and giving L A Reid, Babyface and Sean Combs their big breaks- and driving Arista to the biggest label in the USA. Oh and did I mention Whitney?
Clive started J Records in 2000 then sold it to become head of BMG and (after a merger) Sony/BMG the biggest record company in the world. A few superstars I missed: Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Bruce Springsteen, Notorious B I G...
Yes, he's a conceited jerk but honestly, I can see why.
Updated On: 2/20/13 at 01:35 PM
