Clive Davis, legend music executive who signed Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, dies aged 94
For every Janis Joplin he discovered in 1960s rock, there was a Sean "P. Diddy" Combs he mentored in hip-hop in the 1990s and a Kelly Clarkson he guided in pop in the 2000s
Clive Davis, who fostered the careers of Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen and other stars, died on Monday at the age of 94.
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Davies was a former corporate lawyer who became one of the most influential figures in American rock and pop music.
Known as "the man with the golden ear" for his ability to identify potential hit songs, the music legend died at his home in Manhattan, the New York Times reported,.
He was recently hospitalised with respiratory problems, his family said.
As an incomparable hitmaker, Davis was highly adaptable and could span genres and generations, even as he hit his 80s.
For every Janis Joplin he discovered in 1960s rock, there was a Sean "P. Diddy" Combs he mentored in hip-hop in the 1990s and a Kelly Clarkson he guided in pop in the 2000s.
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“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” a statement on social media read.
“He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.
"To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the center of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love.”
After he was born in Brooklyn on 4 April, 1932, he grew up in the Crown Heights neighbourhood.
Davis graduated from Harvard Law School and had no knowledge of the music industry when he took a job at Columbia Records, age 28.
He then took night classes to educate himself on copyright law, contracts and litigation.
The music mogul then handled delicate contract talks with stars like Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand.
In 1965, he was promoted to vice president and shortly then became president. He rocketed the label to the top after signing Santana, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and Springsteen.
"I didn't necessarily have an ear, but I think I developed one," he later said.
"Whether there was a natural ear that was triggered, I don't know the answer to that. But when you see a Joplin or a Springsteen, you know."
However, after a playback for Simon and Garfunkel's fifth album in 1970, he ruffled feathers after he told the "aghast" artists that Cecilia shouldn't be their first single.
"I felt Cecilia would be a hit but Bridge [Over Troubled Water] was something more," he told Simon's biographer Robert Hilburn.
"Yes, it was a ballad; yes, it was lengthy," he said separately to the New York Times.
"But you've got to know when you have a home run. You can't play everything by the rules."