Clive Jay Davis is a record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer from the United States.
Clive Davis was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Herman and Florence Davis. His father was a salesman and an electrician. Davis grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Clive Davis’ mother died when she was 47, and his father died when he was still a teenager the following year. He then relocated to Bayside, Queens, New York City, with his married sister.
In 1953, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political science from New York University College of Arts and Science. He attended Harvard Law School on a full scholarship, where he was a member of the Board of Student Advisers and graduated in 1956.
Davis was the president of Columbia Records from 1967 to 1973. From 1974 to 2000, he was the founder and president of Arista Records before launching J Records.
Clive Davis is credited with launching the careers of Whitney Houston and Barry Manilow He has five Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as a non-performer.