A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
This is the sound that Clive Davis helped create.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ME AND BOBBY MCGEE")
JANIS JOPLIN: (Singing) Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PIANO MAN")
BILLY JOEL: (Singing) Sing us a song, you're the piano man.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EVERYDAY PEOPLE")
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: (Singing) I am everyday people.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BORN TO RUN")
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: (Singing) Tramps like us. Baby, we were born to run.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SEPTEMBER")
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE: (Singing) Ba-dee-ya, dancing in September.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU")
WHITNEY HOUSTON: (Singing) And I will always love you.
MARTÍNEZ: The death of one of the most revered executives in the music world at the age of 94 closed out a decadeslong career as a champion of some of the greatest musical artists of all time.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Clive Davis was a lawyer turned music tastemaker who held top positions at labels such as Columbia and RCA and founded others, including Arista and J Records. He was instrumental in shepherding the careers of some of the biggest artists of all time, like Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Janis Joplin.
MARTÍNEZ: Clive Davis signed Whitney Houston when she was just 19, even insisting that her cover of a Dolly Parton song open with 40 seconds a cappella.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU")
HOUSTON: (Singing) If I should stay, I would only be in your way.
MARTÍNEZ: It was something producer David Foster inaccurately predicted would cut into airplay. Davis also helped grow hip-hop in the 1990s and early 2000s, working with artists like Usher, OutKast and The Notorious B.I.G.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HYPNOTIZE")
THE NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) Lucky they don't owe me. Where the safe? Show me. Say what? Homie. Homie.
PAMELA LONG: (Singing) Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see? Sometimes your words just hypnotize me.
MARTIN: Barry Manilow, who worked closely with Davis for decades, spoke about their collaboration to Steve Inskeep earlier this month.
BARRY MANILOW: Every album always had two Clive Davis choices 'cause he's brilliant at that. His ear goes to the radio. Mine does not.
MARTÍNEZ: Music critic Anthony DeCurtis co-wrote Davis' 2013 autobiography, "The Soundtrack Of My Life," and he's with us this morning. Anthony, I mean, Clive Davis was known as the man with golden ears. How did he know exactly what to contribute to some of these great songs and great artists? I mean, how did he know when he touched on something great?
ANTHONY DECURTIS: Well, that is the mystery.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
DECURTIS: You know, Clive is somebody who, you know, really had no music background, but quite accidentally found himself as the president of Columbia Records, and he began studying, you know? He began spending time, you know, just learning what works on the radio. And in the old-school definition of A&R, which is artists and repertoire, that's what Clive did. He had certain artists, and he found the repertoire for them. And he was a master at matching the artist to the song.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Aretha Franklin once called him the greatest record man of all time. Many music executives stay behind the scenes - don't have that kind of reputation. What made him stand out?
DECURTIS: Well, Clive is somebody who loved to work with artists, and the great thing about him in that regard was that he was somebody who let the artist be the artist. As involved as he was in people's careers, he never wanted to sort of displace them in the public eye. So there was a kind of, you know, business-like relationship, but at the same time, they knew that Clive had their best interests and ultimately his record company's interests at heart, and that's how he proceeded.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Well, it works, right? I mean, yeah, if everyone, you know, is just out for themselves, then nothing works. But if they got one person who's looking out for everyone's interests, typically, that makes things work.
DECURTIS: Well, you know, he also worked - you know, he made a distinction between what he would call pop artists, which is artists who don't write their own songs, and, you know, artists like certainly Bruce Springsteen, or God knows, Bob Dylan, you know, people who really do, you know, write their own songs. And he just handled those people differently. People will criticize Clive. You know, he was very involved. But Clive would always make suggestions. And if you didn't want to follow those suggestions, that's fine. It's your career.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
DECURTIS: But, like, that's what - that's - like, many artists will laugh and talk about Clive saying that to them. It's like, oh, OK, it's my career, and I knew what he meant by that.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
DECURTIS: You know, because he had a real sense of what the market would bear.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. If Clive Davis gives you a suggestion, I suggest you take it seriously. I mean, that would be my...
DECURTIS: Exactly.
MARTÍNEZ: ...Suggestion to anyone. Now, he - you know, Davis called Whitney Houston one of his top singers of all time, right alongside Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand. And he described the relationship with Houston as a very special bond, even after he didn't represent her. What made their collaboration so special?
DECURTIS: Well, because it started when she was so young. Lots of people wanted to sign Whitney Houston. But, you know, because Clive had a relationship with Dionne Warwick and with Aretha Franklin, you know, he had real standing with Whitney. And they went on a journey together. And those records, you know, which are beautifully made, were hugely successful. And, you know, eventually, in the ways of the record industry, you know, they were apart for a while. But, you know, their connection was very, very strong and very powerful and ultimately very personal.
MARTÍNEZ: Anthony, just about 30 seconds left here. I mean, you worked closely with Davis on his autobiography. And I know I'm asking an impossible thing to answer possibly here, but what was the No. 1 thing you learned about him in his relationship to music?
DECURTIS: Well, the very - the most important thing I learned about him was that his relationship to music and the music business was always second to his relationship to his family. I was really struck by what a family man he was to his, you know, four children and grandchildren and at least one great-grandchild that I know of. And that that was what always - as much as he was concerned with the business, that was really the kind of uppermost thing in his life.
MARTÍNEZ: Music critic Anthony DeCurtis co-wrote Davis' 2013 autobiography, "The Soundtrack Of My Life." Anthony, thanks.
DECURTIS: Thank you.
MARTÍNEZ: Clive Davis died Monday. He was 94.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BLINDED BY THE LIGHT")
SPRINGSTEEN: (Singing) She was blinded by the light. Oh, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night. Blinded by the light. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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