UB In Memoriam: Music Industry God Clive Davis + Ivan Matias Contributes

Music industry legend and pioneer Clive Davis died the past Monday June 22nd, at the age of 94.

Today we celebrate the honcho with a special feature and commentary from Clive Davis protégée songwriter Ivan Matias.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Davis was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of New York University, where he received his BA magna cum laude, and he graduated with honors from Harvard Law School.

After his studies, he joined the Rosenman Colin law firm and then Columbia Records in 1960.

In the first phase of his career, Clive Davis was General Counsel of Columbia Records and was appointed Vice President and General Manager in 1966.

In 1967, he was named President of the company.

The Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 confirmed what Davis had been feeling about rock: the new music was a powerful force, the artistic expression of an emerging culture.

He personally signed Janis Joplin’s Big Brother and the Holding Company to Columbia.

After that, he was directly responsible for the signing of many more landmark artists in the rock field, among them Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Santana, Boz Scaggs, Loggins & Messina, Laura Nyro, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, and legendary Earth, Wind & Fire.

In addition to bringing this fresh, brand new talent to Columbia, he signed such artists as Herbie Hancock, The Isley Brothers, Neil Diamond, and Pink Floyd.

While building the rock roster, Clive Davis was also strengthening the label’s catalog in all fields of recorded music, achieving historic success in the areas of R&B, country, jazz, and pop music.

He played a key role in the careers of Simon & Garfunkel, Sly & The Family Stone, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, and Andy Williams.

Clive Davis figured prominently in shaping career turning points for Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, and he signed Weather Report.

Under his aegis, the company made a strong entry into R&B.

Clive Davis’ deal with Gamble & Huff brought to the company the famed Philadelphia International label, which had an enormous string of hits and set the course for Black music in the ’70s.

Clive Davis left Columbia Records in May 1973 and, after writing the book, “Clive: Inside The Record Business,” a national best-seller.

His tenure at Columbia Records had been sometimes chaotic, sometimes against the grain, often with temporary problems, but always with considerable forward strength and forward progress.

In a speech given at a convention named “Radio 78” in Sydney. Australia, Clive Davis spoke of his early days as president of Columbia Records.

The label was primarily devoted to MOR artists, Broadway cast albums, and classical albums. “Times. indeed, were changing. But what I took was a gradual route, which was very painful as it turned out. Painful, because I did not come with the experience necessary to make radical changes.”

He spoke of Mitch Miller, then head of A&R at Columbia, taking “a very strong position against rock,” that Columbia Records was “stultified in this area, and the question was how long could the company live on catalog?”

In 1974, the Arista Records hot streak began immediately.

Only three months after the company opened its doors, Barry Manilow’s smash hit “Mandy,” found by and named by Davis, went straight to #1.

In 1975 Clive Davis was indicted for Tax Evasion Goldstein then characterized Davis‘ indictment as being “wholly unconnected” with any “pay for play” actions.

Clive Davis had been indicted for alleged income tax evasion relating to some $90,000 in expenses while president of CBS Records.

Under Davis’ leadership, Arista launched the careers of Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Kenny G, Sarah McLachlan, Monica, Andrea Martin, Dido, and Minnesota‘s own NEXT.

The label also attracted such important artists as Aretha Franklin, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, Lou Reed, Eurythmics, Dionne Warwick, Daryl Hall & John Oates, and Carly Simon.

Just two years after the formation of Arista, Davis held his first Pre-Grammy Gala.

Initially, an intimate invite-only celebration of music held the evening prior to the Grammy Awards, the Pre-Grammy Gala quickly became the hottest ticket of the year, rivaling Swifty Lazar’s infamous Oscar parties for elegance, prestige, and star power.

A glittering event, Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala consistently draws the biggest and most powerful names in music, film, television, sports, politics and corporate America.

It is renowned historically for unique musical performances and one-night-only duets, all personally selected and curated by Clive himself.

The Pre-Grammy Gala will be the subject of “The Greatest Party Ever,” a feature documentary being produced by Jesse Collins.

Arista’s Nashville division, started in 1988, quickly became the talk of the industry with the discovery of a stellar lineup of stars led by Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, Pam Tillis, and Brad Paisley.

With over 150 major industry awards, Arista Nashville set the pace for country music.

Analogous to his agreement with Gamble & Huff in the ’70s, Davis made his agreement with L.A. Reid and Babyface to form LaFace Records in October 1989.

During this time, LaFace built an outstanding roster of hitmaking artists including TLC, Toni Braxton, Usher, Shanice, OutKast, and P!nk.

In 1994, Clive Davis and producer/entrepreneur Sean “Puffy” Combs entered into a 50/50 joint venture that resulted in the creation of Bad Boy Records with an artist roster that grew to include Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112, and, of course, Diddy.

Along with LaFace Records, Bad Boy became the most successful R&B and Rap labels of the ’90s, with a shelf full of Grammy, Soul Train, and other industry awards.

Bad Boy amassed sales of more than 12 million albums in its first three years, including five RIAA platinum and multi-platinum titles and ten RIAA gold.

Throughout the ‘90s, Arista staked its place in music history time and time again.

Specifically, superstars such as Whitney Houston, Santana, Monica, Sarah McLachlan, and Deborah Cox broke records with their long-running chart-topping positions.

In fact, Arista carved its niche as the only record label in the Soundscan era (whose tracking began in May 1991) to occupy the top three spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 at one time.

This occurred for a five-week period in 1995, when TLC’s “Waterfalls” held strong at #1, while Monica’s “Don’t Take It Personal” and “One More Chance” by Notorious B.I.G. alternated at the second and third positions.

Arista later staked its claim to the top three positions on Billboard’s Hot R&B chart in February 1999 with “Heartbreak Hotel” by Whitney Houston, “Angel Of Mine” by Monica, and “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” by Deborah Cox, which stayed at #1 for a history making 14 weeks.

All three singles were executive produced by Clive Davis.

The nine-time Grammy winning album, “Supernatural,” from Santana sold over 26 million copies worldwide, produced the #1 hits “Smooth” (which to this day is the second highest single in history) and “Maria Maria” (#1 record on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles for 12 weeks), marked the reunion of Carlos Santana and Clive Davis and the two accepted, as producers, the Grammy for Best Album of The Year.

Also, in 2000, Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the only nonperformer along with other legends such as Eric Clapton, Earth, Wind & Fire, and James Taylor.

Almost simultaneously, it was announced that the celebrated Arista chief would be the recipient of the Trustees Lifetime Achievement award by NARAS at the Grammy Awards.

The landmark year continued when NBC Television broadcast a two-hour primetime special saluting Arista Records and Clive Davis entitled “25 Years Of #1 Hits: Arista Records Anniversary Celebration” featuring performances by Santana, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, Alan Jackson, Barry Manilow, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny G, Patti Smith, Monica, and many others.

This once-in-a-lifetime concert special benefited AmFAR, City Of Hope, and T.J. Martell Foundation.

In August 2000, Davis began a new phase in his career, announcing the formation of J Records.

The label quickly became the buzz of the industry with platinum success story after success story, beginning with Alicia Keys whose debut album “Songs In A Minor” sold over 10 million copies and swept the Grammys.

Her second album, “The Diary of Alicia Keys,” debuted at #1 and has since sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

J Records emerged as a dominant music force with chart topping albums by Maroon 5, whose debut album sold over 10 million copies worldwide, Annie Lennox, Luther Vandross, and Rod Stewart, whose five Great American Songbook Volumes returned him to the top of the charts selling over 18 million copies worldwide, with all five volumes being co-produced by Davis.

Davis’ passion for music, though, was matched by a passion for helping his fellow man.

The recipient of many humanitarian honors from organizations such as the T.J. Martell Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League, and the American Cancer Society, Davis began his tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS in 1985.

One of the foremost leaders in the battle against the disease, Davis spearheaded the donation of millions of dollars to AIDS charities over the years.

In early 1990, it was Clive Davis who stepped in to save the faltering Rock In A Hard Place AIDS benefit show.

With the resources of 15 years of star Arista talent, Davis decided to turn the company’s 15th anniversary concert into a benefit.

Featuring a stellar lineup of stars from the worlds of music, television and film, “That’s What Friends Are For: Arista’s 15th Anniversary Concert Benefit” took place in March 1990 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

The event raised another $2 million to fight AIDS.

In 1995, Clive Davis was once again named Humanitarian of the Year by the T.J. Martell Foundation, the first ever to receive this honor twice.

And in 1998, Clive Davis was bestowed a Humanitarian Award from the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of HIV/AIDS research.

In celebration, an affair which also recognized the humanitarian efforts of Barbara Walters and Tom Hanks, took place where a dazzling array of Arista superstars including Whitney Houston and Sean “Puffy” Combs performed in honor of their friend and label head.

In 2002, Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and Clive Davis, announced a $5 million gift by Davis to the School for the creation of a new Department of Recorded Music.

The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music is the first of its kind to offer a four-year, degree-granting undergraduate program that recognizes the creative producer as an artist in his own right and musical recording itself as a creative medium.

That same year, Davis was saluted by the New York Landmarks Conservatory as a “Living Landmark” along with Barbara Cook, Peter Martins, and Mike Wallace, and he also received the coveted NARAS Heroes Award.

The Heroes Award honors outstanding individuals whose creative talents and accomplishments cross all musical boundaries and who are integral to the vitality of the music community.

In June 2003, the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, made Davis the recipient of its 2003 Hitmaker Award.

In 2008, Davis was appointed Chief Creative Officer for all of Sony Music Entertainment, a change in operational responsibility, but an expansion of the artists he would now creatively be responsible for.

In 2010, NARAS announced that it will name the prestigious state of the art theater inside the Grammy Museum the “Clive Davis Theater.”

In 2011, New York University awarded an Honorary PhD of Fine Arts to Clive Davis.

In 2013, Clive release his best-seller autobiography “The Soundtrack of My Life.”

Also in 2011, Davis made an additional gift of $5 million, expanding the Department of Recorded Music into an Institute.

The additional support and elevation in status will continued to make it possible to recruit additional stellar working professionals as faculty, establish a generous scholarship fund, and support programs to recruit the best and the brightest young talent from around the world, thus securing the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music recognition as a global leader in producing talent for the music industry.

In 2015, he was recognized by Equality Forum as one of the 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month.

Clive Davis was also a 2018 honoree at The New Jewish Home’s Eight Over Eighty Gala.

Our very own Ivan Matias was not only signed to under Clive Davis, but also a friend.

Ivan Matias was signed to Arista Records in the mid-1990s, specifically releasing his album “Sweetest Hangover” under Arista/BMG/1st Avenue Records in 1996.

Prior to his tenure as a solo artist, he released dance singles through the label, including the Billboard #1 dance hit “I’ve Had Enough” in 1993.

While Ivan, is primarily known as a multi-platinum songwriter and producer, having penned massive hits for artists like En Vogue, SWV, Tracie Spencer and Blu Cantrell; this was his only album release.

Ivan Matias Gets Candid About Friend and Mentor Clive Davis.

Clive Davis was a great communicator & creative visionary with the unique gift of mainstreaming artists of all musical genres & backgrounds.

He helped shape, define & evolve pop music with his artists, producers, hand picked song & carefully vetted staff.

He played a MAJOR role in integrating & crossing over R&B & Soul into the pop charts by prioritizing artists that were once relegated to niche market “Black music” status by radio, media & the charts.

He built a powerhouse roster which included many urban notables that became global stars.

Over the years, Clive was a great supporter of songs written by the late Andrea Martin & I.

I was signed to Arista for a few years. After 3 years, I completed an album for the internationalmarket.

Clive wanted me to record a new album for the US with songs hand-picked by him.

I asked to be released as we disagreed about the creative direction.

My lawyer was Clives daughter Lauren & I introduced her to Andrea shortly after leaving the label.

Andrea then signed to Arista Records.

Clive & I had two disagreements over the years, but he didn’t hold them against me.

In fact, right after our second spat, I attended an event he held for Whitney just before her passing.

As Clive entered the room holding Whitney’s hand, the paparazzi swarmed and the crowd parted to let them through.

I stood between Andrea and Maxwell.

Out of the corner of Clive’s eye, he saw me, reached across Whitney with his free hand to grab my arm, and pulled me into the photos.

There I was, walking with Clive and Whitney as he held our hands while photographers’ flashes went off non-stop.

I turned to look at Andrea, and we both had looks of surprise on our faces given the rift Clive and I had just days before.

Clive had a way of improvising memorable moments like that.

He has been the subject of many conspiracies and controversies in recent years.

Some link him to the misfortune and tragedies of iconic figures like Whitney Houston, Diddy, and Phyllis Hyman.

However, many dismiss the major role Clive played in creating, cultivating, and guiding their careers into legendary status.

Clive was 94 when he passed.

He lived a full and colorful life, made many dreams come true, and defined decades with his golden ears.

Like all of us, he was not a perfect man.

However, there are countless artists, executives, writers, producers, and music fans around the world who cannot describe their life’s musical journey without including a Clive contribution.

A Few of UB’s Favorite Clive Davis Interview Quotes.

You began in the business as an attorney for Columbia in 1960. Had it been your intention to be in the music industry?
No. It was all fate. There was to be an opening that was to be filled from the Roseman Colin law firm. It was an unusual opportunity for someone three years into practice. I was given an opportunity to join the legal department of Columbia Records and then be chief attorney within a year. This happened out of the blue. It was nothing that was thought of, nothing planned. It was just an unusual opportunity that, when Harvey Schein, who had come from the Roseman firm as well and was to make his mark in the international sector for many years at Columbia Records, offered me that job. So I had no grand design. I just took it because it seemed like a strong career opportunity, and I had no idea where it was going to lead me.

How do you define success?
In my life in music, I feel success when artists who signed 50 or 60 years ago are still headlining today. I was never interested in signing a continuum of one-hit wonders or artists that had short careers. Success is seeing artists that I work with go on to receive Kennedy Center Honors. It is about staying relevant and becoming a lifelong institution. I measure success by the power of songs that I believed in and seeing the way those songs still move people. When you see an artist like Barry Manilow who still today packs a
stadium and everyone knows every word to every song, and the songs have such meaning to his fans – the same with Whitney – that is success.

UB Sends Our Condolences to the Family, Friends and Fans of Clive Davis!

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