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Even if someone is not particularly into the behind-the-scenes of how music ends up on the radio and the shelves of the stores, most people would recognise the name Clive Davis even if they had no idea what he did in the industry.

He wasn’t a musician by trade and wasn’t really known to have any particular musical talent except for one: knowing when he was hearing someone perform that was destined for the top of the charts.

In an age of streaming and anyone being able to put their music out for public consumption, it’s sometimes hard to remember just how much of a cast-iron grip on the industry the A&R (artists and repertoire) executives had over what was heard by the general public.

If the A&R guy liked your song and was willing to sign you to a record deal, you could pretty much expect to be topping the charts at some point in the future.

If A&R didn’t…well, Tom Petty summed it up best:

The papers said Ed always played from the heart
He got an agent and a roadie named Bart
They made a record, and it went in the charts
The sky was the limit

His leather jacket had chains that would jingle
They both met movie stars, partied and mingled
Their A&R man said, “I don’t hear a single”
The future was wide open

Tom Petty – “Into the Great Wide Open”

When it came to legends of the A&R world, arguably one of if not the greatest was Clive Davis who was at the pinnacle of the industry for decades at Columbia Records and later founding his own label Arista Records and eventually heading the RCA Music Group.

Without Clive Davis’ guidance, you might never have heard of legendary artists like Barry Manilow and Whitney Houston. Or Aretha Franklin. Chicago. Santana. Loggins and Messina. Earth, Wind & Fire. Aerosmith. Billy Joel. The list goes on and on and may well include some artists that will surprise you…

So tonight, we’re celebrating some of the artists Clive Davis signed to record deals that propelled them to music stardom and will be remembered long after his passing yesterday.

Well, after the first two tracks which will allow me enough time to sneak over to the Wake rink to grab the pucks from the cupboard… 🙂

Game 1 Warm-Ups

Zamboni and Game 2 Warm-Ups

Post-Game