Archive of Clive Davis Archives - DON SILVER, Author

Clive Cringes: Inclement Weather Ahead

on August 12th, 2012 in Music by | Comments Off on Clive Cringes: Inclement Weather Ahead

Aretha Franklin, “Through the Storm”     ”Clive’s Cringes,” by Hunter Pope, is an ongoing series examining Clive Davis’s more “interesting” signings  for Arista Records. Check out part one for a full explanation. Disclaimer: Aretha Franklin is the definitive queen of soul. Her voice still shines with gospel glory to this day. But,…

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A Talk with Julie Gold

on August 5th, 2012 in Interviews by | Comments Off on A Talk with Julie Gold

I first met Julie Gold in 1979. I’d been doing A&R for Arista Records for about a year and although we were on opposite sides of the desk, we were more alike than different: a couple of twenty-three year old music-loving kids from Philly trying to make it in New…

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Clive Cringes Part Two: Ghosts Stole my New Drug

on July 23rd, 2012 in Music by | Comments Off on Clive Cringes Part Two: Ghosts Stole my New Drug

Ray Parker Jr.  “Clive’s Cringes” is an ongoing series examining Clive Davis’s more “interesting” signings  for Arista Records. Check out part one for a full explanation. Respect first:  Ray Parker Jr. is a legendary guitarist who owns past stints with Dizzy Gillespie and Barry White. The Detroit native was merely a teenager when he…

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Clive’s Cringes

on July 20th, 2012 in Music by | 1 Comment

Clive Davis could spot gold in a song. The Arista Records chief–whose tenure ran from 1975-2000–was responsible for signing huge acts like Air Supply, Annie Lennox, Aretha Franklin, and Ace of Base. His biggest discovery was the late Whitney Houston, who became one of the best selling artists in music history.   Bob Weir, of The Grateful…

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Clive: Working for the Man in the Age of Vinyl (opening)

on June 22nd, 2012 in Clive: Working for the Man in the Age of Vinyl by | Comments Off on Clive: Working for the Man in the Age of Vinyl (opening)

In 1978, the summer after most New Yorkers followed the gruesome antics of a serial killer named Son of Sam, I was wandering around midtown, a roll of dimes in my pocket, a briefcase full of cassettes and Xeroxed resumes in my hand, trying very hard not to look too…

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