Clive Davis
b. Brooklyn, New York, USA. Trained in law, Davis rose through the hierarchy at CBS Records and by 1967 was installed as the company's president. He sensed an album-orientated trend inspired by the emergent ‘underground’ movement and thus sought to rid the label of its conservative image by acquiring the cream of these new acts. Using that year's Monterey Pop Festival as a lynchpin, Davis signed the Electric Flag, Blood, Sweat And Tears, Laura Nyro and Big Brother And The Holding Company, the latter of which featured vocalist Janis Joplin. This impressive roster was quickly enhanced by Leonard Cohen, Santana, Sly And The Family Stone and Chicago, while an inspired marketing campaign centering on budget-priced samplers, notably THE ROCK MACHINE, introduced many of these acts to a wider audience. Davis was one of the first entrepreneurs to understand the importance of the rock press, in particular ROLLING STONE, and he also undertook a series of distribution deals, allying Columbia with independent producers/managers including Lou Adler (Ode), James Guercio (Caribou) and Steve Paul (Blue Sky). However his most important coup was in securing Phildelphia International which became the leading soul outlet of the early '70s and gave Columbia an unprecedented profile in the black music market. Yet despite this remarkable success rate, Davis was summarily fired from the label in 1974 following allegations that company funds had been used to pay for personal family expenses. He subsequently founded Arista Records, on which early success with Barry Manilow conferred an easy-listening image. The signings of Eric Carmen, Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin showed a reliance on safe, already established acts, at odds with Davis’ earlier, more daring, approach. Longstanding attractions the Kinks and Grateful Dead enjoyed continued success while with Arista, but once again Davis seemed content to build upon, rather than create, a phenomenon. In 1977 he published his autobiography, CLIVE, but changing tastes during the subsequent decade undermined his label's position. It was later absorbed into the BMG conglomerate with RCA Victor. Nevertheless Davis will be remembered for an ability to relate directly with artists and a desire to cultivate lasting careers which in turn brought a maturity to the mechanics of rock during the often-turbulent '60s. 
Further reading: CLIVE, Clive Davis, New York, 1977.