Clive Davis Remembered by Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana and More: ‘The Visionary Who Transformed Dreams Into Reality’
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Clive Davis died Monday at age 94, prompting an outpouring of tributes from artists whose careers he launched or oversaw at Columbia Records and Arista Records, including Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, and Simon & Garfunkel.
- Bruce Springsteen credited Davis with changing his life at 22 when he signed him to Columbia Records, saying Davis 'treated me with the same respect and kindness as a 22-year-old nobody as he did after all my success.'
- Carlos Santana called Davis 'a visionary' who 'could hear the intangible before anyone else could see it,' writing that 'music is more than entertainment — it is a healing force' and that Davis 'recognized the light in people.'
- Barry Manilow said he worked with Davis for fifty years, adding that the relationship 'was family' rather than business, and thanked him for a partnership in which they 'created together, argued together, and celebrated together.'
- Ray Parker Jr., who scored the 1984 'Ghostbusters' theme on Arista Records, revealed that Davis — while sick in his final weeks — wrote him 'the nicest, heartfelt letter' for his May 1st birthday.
- Diane Warren called losing Davis 'like losing my father,' writing: 'Without You I would never have the career I have. I am everything I am because you loved me.'
- Kenny Loggins, recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, said 'I owe my career to Clive Davis,' praising his willingness to use his 'gut' rather than 'just looking at the numbers.'
Why it matters: Davis's death marks the end of an era in which label executives relied on personal conviction and decades-long artist relationships to build careers — as Kenny Loggins put it, Davis used his 'gut' rather than 'looking at the numbers.' His track record of signing or developing Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, and Carlos Santana across six decades represents a model of music-industry leadership that few successors can replicate.
Ask SkimNews
