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10 Clive Davis Friends & Collaborators Share Their Favorite Memories: Barry Manilow, Lucian Grainge & More
Billboard has compiled tributes from ten friends and collaborators of music executive Clive Davis, who died on 22 June aged 94, reflecting on his decades-long influence over the recording industry. Contributors include artists he signed and worked with directly, as well as fellow executives who credit him with shaping the modern music business through his instinct for hit songs and talent.
– Barry Manilow recalls how Davis pushed him to record "Brandy," which Manilow reworked and renamed "Mandy," becoming a No. 1 hit and the start of a near-50-year working relationship. – Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge remembers Davis's presence at a 1981 London club gig and a later lunch in France, praising his blend of creative instinct and commercial judgement. – Rod Stewart recounts an afternoon with Davis and producer Richard Perry discussing tracks for the first Great American Songbook album. – The piece also references a separate, fuller remembrance of Davis by A&R executive Pete Ganbarg.
In short
- Ten collaborators share personal memories of Clive Davis, who died aged 94.
- Barry Manilow recounts how Davis inspired "Mandy," a No. 1 hit.
- Executives and artists praise Davis's lasting influence on the music industry.
Explained simply
Clive Davis was one of the most influential figures in the music industry for more than half a century. He died in June aged 94, leaving behind a career in which he signed, developed and worked closely with some of the world's biggest recording artists and helped shape how the modern music business operates.
Davis became famous for spotting talent and recognising hit songs early, often before other industry figures did. Artists including Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart worked with him throughout their careers and credit him with helping create some of their most important records.
Billboard has gathered memories and reflections from ten of Davis's collaborators and friends, who recount stories from their decades of working together and pay tribute to his influence on music and the careers of those around him.
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