It is fair to say that popular music would not sound the same without Clive Davis.
As a record company executive, he was charged with finding talent that could move units. What Davis did, however, was launch careers — a lot of them, in fact, including the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Laura Nyro, Loggins and Messina, the Chambers Brothers, the Outlaws, Ministry, Kenny G, Alicia Keys and — though some may choose to forget — Milli Vanilli and the Bay City Rollers.
He also brought Pink Floyd to Columbia Records as its U.S. label and engineered career resurrections for Dionne Warwick, Carly Simon, the Kinks, Lou Reed and others.
And those are just the acts NOT listed below.
A Harvard-educated lawyer, Davis became Columbia Records’ general counsel when he was 29 years old, then became part of its administration during 1965, staying at the label until being fired in 1973 and subsequently starting Arista Records.
His sharp ears were complemented by creativity in both music and marketing; The late Aretha Franklin, proudly (and defiantly) the master of her own shop, once told us that, “When Clive has an idea, I listen. He’s earned that respect. He wants the best for his artists…and he’s almost always right.”
That’s high praise and well-deserved. On the occasion of his death Monday at the age of 94 it seemed appropriate to consider the 10 artist careers that best demonstrate his golden touch…
Key Takeaways
- Impactful Career: Clive Davis launched numerous successful careers in music.
- Major Labels: He signed iconic artists to major labels like Columbia and Arista.
- Rescue Missions: Davis was known for reviving fading careers of legendary musicians.
- Lasting Influence: His contributions continue to shape popular music today.
10. Blood, Sweat & Tears
The persistence of founder Al Kooper and the originality of the group’s genre-blending, horn-filled sound convinced Davis to sign Blood, Sweat & Tears to Columbia in 1967.
But after just one album Kooper was gone and, with new frontman David Clayton-Thomas, BS&T topped the Billboard 200 with its self-titled sophomore set and blasted out a series of hits such as “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” Laura Nyro’s (another Davis signing) “Hi-De-Ho” and others.
The group’s commercial fortunes were beginning to ebb, however, when Davis was fired in 1973.
Key Album: Child Is Father to the Man, 1968
Though Davis’ Arista imprint didn’t dip deep into the punk and New Wave worlds, he did bring the burgeoning Patti Smith Group on, releasing its lauded debut, Horses, in 1975 and keeping Smith in house for nine albums until she switched to, ironically, his old stomping grounds at Columbia Records.
Key Album: Horses, 1975
8. Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead had left its original home at Warner Bros. and struck out with its own imprint during the mid-’70s, but Davis brought the group back into the major label realm with 1977’s Terrapin Station.
After signing, Bob Weir would occasionally change the lyrics of “Jack Straw” to “we used to play for acid, now we play for Clive.” Arista would be the group’s home for the remainder of its career, and there it achieved its only Top 10 album and single in 1987 with In the Dark and “Touch of Grey,” respectively.
Arista was also the home of “Alabama Getaway,” the crucial 1981 live album pairing of Reckoning and Dead Set, and its final studio release, 1990’s Without a Net.
Key Album: In the Dark, 1987
Davis gave the Queen of Soul her third great era, bringing her to Arista in 1980 after her sparkle began to fade. He brought her back into the conversation with 1980’s Aretha, while teaming Franklin with producer Luther Vandross for 1982’s Jump To It, which brought her back to No. 1 on both the albums and singles charts.
That momentum sustained throughout the ’80s, and Davis was also the guiding force for Franklin’s final release, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, in 2014.
Key Album: Jump To It, 1982
The British troubadour was one of Davis’ first signings after coming to CBS Records in 1966, and Donovan was with the company’s Epic Records division for more than a decade, scoring hits such as “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow,” “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and more.
He was also one of the first signings to Davis’ Arista Records in 1977 for the album Donovan.
Key Album: Open Road, 1970
5. Aerosmith
In the 1979 track “No Surprise,” Steven Tyler sang that,“Old Clive Davis said he’s surely gonna make us a star / I’m gonna make you a star just the way you are.”Davis was gone from Columbia shortly after Aerosmith’s debut album came out during January of 1973 but gets credit for giving the Boston bad boys their first major label deal; they stayed with Columbia into the early ’80s before returning in 1997.
Key Album: Aerosmith, 1973
4. Sly & The Family Stone
Sly & The Family Stone had released one album,A While New Thing, for CBS’ Epic Records with middling commercial results.
Davis interceded and persuaded a reluctant Stone to strike a more accessible tone which led to the breakthrough “Dance to the Music” in 1967.
The mission was accomplished; the song went Top 10 and launched Family Stone’s hugely successful career topping charts with subsequent singles such as “Everyday People,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” and “Family Affair.”
Key Album: There’s a Riot Goin’ On, 1971
In Memoriam: 2026 Deaths
A look at those we’ve lost in 2026.
