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Clive Davis — the legendary record executive who died Monday at the age of 94 — cast as long a shadow across the music world as any executive, and participants in his funeral will bear that out.
Sources tell Variety
that artists from his long career who are expected to participate include Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, Kenny G and Jennifer Hudson, with more likely to take part. Davis played a key role in the careers of those artists and many others.
The funeral is scheduled for Monday in New York City, although the location has not been announced.
Over the course of a 60-year-plus career, Davis steered Columbia, Arista and J Records to the pinnacle of the pop music business. In the late ‘60s, Davis lucratively moved staid Columbia into the rock business, signing or developing such talents as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Bruce Springsteen. After leaving Columbia, he launched Arista Records – an amalgamation of down-at-the-heels imprints owned by Columbia Pictures – where vocalist Whitney Houston was only the biggest and brightest star on a roster of top pop, rock and R&B acts. A quarter century later, following an awkward merger between parent companies Sony and Bertelsmann, an attempt to push him out of Arista and into retirement resulted instead in his third act with J, a new imprint best known for launching singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.
Davis was so well known in the music industry that he was usually referred to, respectfully, by his first name alone.
Noted for his personal elegance, extravagant style and love of the limelight, Davis for years hosted a lavish annual Grammy Week party that was the music business’ most coveted social ducat. The event, featuring live performances by marquee names and loquaciously MCed by Davis, became an official Recording Academy function in 2009.
