Clive Davis Tells All in New Memoir
Clive Davis is a force of nature.
His musical enthusiasms are legendary - as is his break-neck schedule - and those so-called "golden ears."
Not only did he discover talent as wide-ranging as Janis Joplin, Santana, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, he has recorded everyone from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin. There were the Grateful Dead and Aerosmith. Did I mention, Barry Manilow, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson? He formed a company with L.A. Reid and Babyface, which became home base for Usher and Pink. With Sean "Puffy" Combs he founded Bad Boy Records and recorded Notorious B.I.G. The list does go on and on.
Nearly 50 years after the one-time lawyer became the president of CBS Records, he still remains a vital force in the music industry. Davis, now 80, reigns as the Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment and just last week he appeared on the cover of Billboard Magazine's power issue.
Now comes his autobiography, "The Sound Track of My Life," in which he chronicles a childhood in Brooklyn, the loss of his parents when he was still a teen and his triumphant, scholarship-supported march through New York University and then Harvard Law School.
The 500 plus page book is filled with the often juicy behind-the-scenes stories of some of the best known artists of our time: How Janice Joplin suggested she perform a sexual act with him to seal their deal, how John Lennon offered him insight to the creative process, the false accusations of embezzlement that ended his career at CBS. There are also deeply personal revelations, that he shares for the first time with us.
We have followed Clive Davis around for much of the past month - trying to keep up. From his extraordinary office at the top of New York's Sony Building, to his stunning, art-filled New York duplex and finally to his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Clive Davis is fun to be around. Something is always happening. New young composers want to meet with him, senior citizen superstars need his ear. He is always unruffled. Has time for everyone. The necktie and handkerchief always match.
And music, there is always more music.