“I had gotten into music by accident.”
In a conversation with Shirley Halperin, music editor for The Hollywood Reporter, Clive Davis, the legendary music executive and Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music, reflected on his early years: first as a struggling college student and later when a serendipitous turn of events led to him taking the helm of Columbia Records. Here too he discussed the onset of Beatlemania, taking a walk with Lou Reed to the wild side of the 1970’s New York club scene and the special importance of being the namesake of Billboard’s Clive Davis Visionary Award–just this week awarded to Joe Smith. He also spoke on the importance of protecting and preserving the legacy of his longtime friend and artist signing, the late great Whitney Houston.
This special Q&A took place during Grammy Week on Wednesday (Jan. 22) and was held exclusively for Citi cardmembers.