Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow are among the many artists paying tribute to legendary music exec Clive Davis, who passed away Monday. He was 94.
“Over here on E Street, we mourn the death of the great record man and close friend Clive Davis,” Springsteen, who Davis signed to Columbia Records in 1973, wrote on Instagram. “At 22 years old, he changed my life when he signed me to Columbia Records. He treated me with the same respect and kindness as a 22-year-old nobody as he did after all my success. A great man. All our prayers and love.”
Santana, who signed with Columbia in 1969, released a statement calling Davis “a visionary.”
“He could hear the intangible before anyone else could see it. He believed in Santana from the beginning, and years later he believed in us again,” he wrote. “That kind of faith is a beautiful blessing, and I will always be grateful.”
Davis was also responsible for bringing Santana to Arista Records in the ’90s, which resulted in his multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-winning album Supernatural.
“I thank Clive for his friendship, his trust, and his belief in Santana,” he added. “We celebrate his extraordinary journey and the legacy of joy, inspiration, and possibility that he leaves behind.”
Stewart, who released his The Great American Songbook albums on Davis’ J Records, called the music exec a “giant of a man in the music business” in a post on Instagram.
“I owe Clive so much,” he continued, noting Davis was the only one who believed he could sing “standards with conviction.”
“Other labels rejected the idea, and so The Great American Songbook was born, selling close to 40 million copies,” Stewart added. “We had some wonderful, unforgettable times together, but for now, Mr. Davis, it’s goodbye, my dear friend.”
Manilow, who signed to Columbia Records in 1969, wrote on X that his “heart is heavy with the loss of my friend Clive Davis.”
“For fifty years we worked together, created together, argued together, and celebrated together,” he shared. “Yes, some would say it was business. But to Clive, it never was. It was family. And I was honored to be a part of his. Thank you Clive. I wish we could do it all again.”
Others paying tribute to Davis include Patti Smith, The Grateful Dead, KISS’ Paul Stanley, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Stephen Bishop and The Kinks’ Dave Davies.
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