Rock Legends Clive Davis Helped Sign, Launch & Revive
Rock Legends Clive Davis Helped Sign, Launch & Revive - Page 2
After Clive Davis’ death at 94, here’s a look at the rock legends the music executive helped sign, launch and revive across Columbia, Arista and J Records.
Davis signed and developed many of rock's biggest acts across Columbia, Arista, and J Records
He revived Santana's career in the 1990s, pairing them with contemporary artists
Davis helped launch the careers of Maroon 5 and revitalize Rod Stewart in the 2000s
Source: Multi-Grammy Winner Carlos Santana is joined by Rob Thomas and Clive Davis backstage at the Grammy Awards Show, February 23, 2000 in Los Angeles, California. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
Clive Davis’ fingerprints are all over rock history.
The legendary music executive, who died Monday at 94, helped move Columbia Records deeper into the rock era before building Arista Records and later J Records into career-shaping homes for artists across generations and genres.
Not every artist on this list was discovered in the same way. Some were direct Davis signings, some were established acts he brought to a new label home and others were comeback stories he helped steer. Together, they show just how much of rock’s soundtrack passed through the music mogul’s hands.
Columbia Records Years (1965-1973)
Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company
Signed: 1967
Following their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967, Davis signed Big Brother and the Holding Company to Columbia Records. Despite the success of their 1968 sophomore album, Cheap Thrills, Janis Joplin left the band to pursue a solo career.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Signed: 1968
Davis signed Blood, Sweat & Tears to Columbia in 1968.
Santana
Signed: 1968
Following an audition while opening for the Grateful Dead, Santana was signed to Columbia by Davis. The band would experience commercial success throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, and would remain with the label for over 20 years. Despite leaving Columbia in 1973, Davis would work with Santana later in their careers.
Chicago
Signed: 1968
Known as “The Big Thing,” the band moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 1968, where Davis would sign them. They changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority before releasing their 1969 debut, then later shortened it to Chicago. They’d remain with Columbia until 1981.
Boz Scaggs
Signed: 1971
Davis signed solo artist Boz Scaggs to Columbia in 1971. Davis left the company before Scaggs’ career took off, thanks to the success of 1976’s Silk Degrees.
Loggins & Messina
Signed: 1971
Kenny Loggins met former Buffalo Springfield bassist Jim Messina in 1970 while working as a staff songwriter for ABC-Dunhill Records. With help from Messina, who was working with Columbia as an independent record producer, Loggins was signed by Davis to Columbia for a six-album deal.
The duo would record the six albums as a duo between 1971 and 1976. After the duo’s split, Loggins would remain with Columbia into the mid 1990s.
Billy Joel
Signed: 1972
After Billy Joel started to make a name for himself on the East Coast, Columbia executive Herb Gordon brought the singer to Davis’ attention. Davis signed Joel to the label, and the artist would soon after move to Los Angeles, where he’d write his signature song, “Piano Man.”
Joel has remained with Columbia throughout his legendary career, becoming one of the label’s most-recognizable artists.
Davis was invited to see Aerosmith perform at Max’s Kansas City in New York by the band’s managers. The band reportedly paid the venue out of their own pockets to perform that night. Davis would sign the band to the label, launching their legendary career. The moment was immortalized in the band’s 1979 song “No Surprise.”
Neil Diamond
Signed: 1973
Davis helped bring back Neil Diamond back to Columbia, after the label had dropped him 10 years earlier.
Pink Floyd
Signed: 1973
Pink Floyd had grown dissatisfied with their American label, Capitol Records. Davis had the band signed to Columbia with an advance of $1 million.
Arista Records Years (1974-2000)
Patti Smith
Signed: 1975
Patti Smith had been playing a series of shows at CBGB, a club in New York that featured many prominent early punk and new wave bands. Davis spotted Smith and her band, and signed her to his newly-formed Arista Records.
The Alan Parsons Project
Signed: 1977
Davis signed the Alan Parsons Project to Arista in 1977. The label has since released every single one of the band’s releases since 1977’s I Robot.
Grateful Dead
Signed: 1976
Davis recruited legendary jam band the Grateful Dead to Arista in 1976. The band would land their only top-40 single with the label, “Touch of Grey,” in 1987.
The Kinks
Signed: 1976
Davis helped bring the Kinks to Arista following the termination of their contract with RCA. The label would encourage the band to return to a five-man lineup, reimagining the legendary English band as an arena rock group. The move would lead the Kinks back to commercial success in the late 1970s and into the 1980s.
Lou Reed
Signed: 1976
Davis gave Lou Reed a new home at Arista in 1976, releasing Rock and Roll Heart as Reed’s first album after leaving RCA. The move helped revive Reed’s career, though it did not produce a major commercial breakthrough.
Air Supply
Signed: 1979
Davis helped turn Air Supply into American soft-rock hitmakers after signing the Australian duo to Arista. Their U.S. breakthrough came with “Lost in Love,” followed by a run of major early-1980s hits including “All Out of Love” and “The One That You Love.”
Santana
Signed: 1999
Three decades after signing Carlos Santana and his band to Columbia, Davis brought the legendary band to Arista and created one of music’s greatest comebacks.
He paired Santana with contemporary artists and songwriters, helping turn the band’s 1999 comeback with Supernatural into a massive commercial revival that won multiple Grammys. It introduced Santana to a new generation.
J Records Years (2000-2011)
Rod Stewart
Signed: 2002
Davis helped revive Rod Stewart’s commercial momentum in the 2000s through J Records. Davis co-produced the albums, which returned Stewart to the top of the charts and introduced him to a new adult-pop audience.
Maroon 5
Signed: 2002
Davis’ J Records helped push Maroon 5’s breakthrough through its partnership with Octone Records. The band’s debut album, Songs About Jane, became a massive pop-rock success, helping turn Maroon 5 into mainstream stars.
