Clive Davis pictured in the 1970s. The music mogul was born in Brooklyn and raised in the borough’s Crown Heights. He kicked off much of his career running Columbia Records.
Davis with country singer Johnny Cash in the Sixties, just after Cash signed a recording contract with Columbia. Davis started as a lawyer at the label but eventually became president.
Davis and Sly Stone backstage during a portrait session in 1972. Davis signed Stone and his band in 1967 and helped them achieve a massive commercial breakthrough.
Davis with Barry Manilow at a party where Manilow received an Entertainer of the Year honor. Their relationship spanned decades, with Davis credited for kickstarting his career at Artista Records.
with Arista records pres. Clive Davis (R) at AFTER DARK magazine party honoring Manilow as Entertainer of the Year. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Getty Images)
Davis poses with Janis Joplin, who he signed to Columbia Records in 1967. He immediately believed in her after seeing her explosive performance at the Monterey Pop Festival that summer.
Davis and Muhammad Ali hang out at Sam Goody record store in New York City on May 25, 1977. The two of them crossed paths when Ali starred in the 1977 biographical film ‘The Greatest.’ Davis had the song “The Greatest Love of All” commissioned for the film, and an interpretation by Whitney Houston became one of her greatest hits decades later.
The Kinks sits with Davis in the U.K. in 1976. Davis signed them to Artista Records in 1976, helping them launch a second chapter with an American rock-influenced sound.
In the late Seventies, Lou Reed was facing bankruptcy and a declining career until Davis signed him to the then-newly formed Arista Records in 1976. Here, the two of them pose backstage at the Bottom Line Club in New York in 1980.
Elton John and Davis shake hands in New York. They had a decades-long friendship and often supported each other’s benefits and galas.
Patti Smith famously caught Davis’ attention while playing at CBGB in 1975. Davis signed the Patti Smith Group and worked with Smith for decades. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, Smith gave a heartfelt speech about his work and legacy.
Davis pictured with many close friends and artists he respected during a performance of “That’s What Friends Are For” on ‘Solid Gold.’ He’s photographed alongside Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach, singer-songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Davis sits at the piano with powerhouse singer Aretha Franklin, who he had a close relationship with for decades. He famously helped her revitalize her career after signing her to Arista Records in 1980.
Davis pictured with singer-songwriter Carly Simon after her performance at The Fez on November 7, 1994 in New York. Davis brought her onto Arista Records in the Eighties and executive produced her 1987 album Coming Around Again.
One of the musical partnerships that defined Davis’ career came in 1983, when he discovered Whitney Houston as a teenager. He worked with her throughout her career, helping her become one of the best-selling artists of all time. She congratulates him here at a T.J. Martell benefit while her husband Bobby Brown looks on.
Davis and Prince had an unconventional partnership: Arista Records was the distributor for Prince’s beloved 1999 album Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, but Prince reportedly disliked the label’s control and often pushed back against Davis. Still, in a 2017 interview, Davis said he and Prince had “a terrific one-on-one relationship.”
Davis with Usher and Pharrell at the Angel Ball in New York in 2013. Davis had a big role in Usher’s career in particular, having co-founded LaFace Records with L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. LaFace Records fostered Usher’s early career, and Davis helped mentor Usher and other LaFace signees.
Davis takes a moment with Alicia Keys at the 2024 dinner and auction for the Gordon Parks Foundation. “He was the first record executive to ever ask what I wanted for myself,” Keys said of the mogul in 2008. “So many people in this business are not even musical. They’re businessmen, lawyers, investors. They don’t like music. Clive is one of the last great music lovers in a position to actually affect what happens.”
Davis approaches Joni Mitchell at the 2022 Almost Famous Broadway premiere, one of the few public appearances from the reclusive singer-songwriter. A year prior to the premiere, Mitchell spoke with Davis in a rare, wide-spanning interview for his virtual Grammy party.
In a 2013 interview with RS, Davis said, “I’m concerned about the future of rock, but I’m more hopeful now.” Ten years later, he posed with Italian rockers Måneskin at a pre-Grammy event honoring industry heavyweights Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman.
Doechii takes a picture with Davis after performing her 2024 hit “Denial Is a River” at the 67th Grammy Awards pre-Grammy Gala. Davis’ appearance marks one of his last Grammy celebrations before his death.
Davis, who never retired, photographed in 2021. That same year, the mogul’s son, Fred, told Rolling Stone: “He’s not going to retire … “We [as a family] always want that. But you don’t bring it up. You know who he is. It’s not up for discussion.”
