Event to also honor Davis with Academy's President's Merit Award
GRAMMY.com
(For a complete list of 51st GRAMMY Awards winners, please click here.)
Sony Music Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and three-time GRAMMY winner Clive Davis and The Recording Academy will present the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Feb. 7 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
This exclusive celebration — attended by artists and industry VIPs in music, film and television and featuring special musical performances — will take place the evening before the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards and now becomes an official GRAMMY Week event as The Academy will continue and expand upon an event that has been a Davis legacy for nearly 30 years.
As part of the Pre-GRAMMY Gala's festivities, The Academy will present Davis with the President's Merit Award at the 2009 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons in recognition of his significant contributions to the music industry and the impact his efforts have had on music and the business of music. Past recipients of the GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons President's Merit Award include Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, Ahmet Ertegun, Berry Gordy, and Mo Ostin.
"Clive Davis is a true creative genius and visionary, and The Recording Academy is proud to partner with him for the first time to present the Pre-GRAMMY Gala — an event that he founded and developed into one of GRAMMY Week's most sought-after and hot tickets," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "In addition, his illustrious career has paved the way for numerous artists and music industry players for more than 40 years, and we are delighted to pay tribute to such a prolific entertainment industry icon. His influence in both the artistic and business aspects of music is legendary, and his sharp ear and fine-tuned intuition are unparalleled."
A New York native who holds degrees from New York University and Harvard Law School, Davis began his career at Columbia Records where he was appointed president in 1967 and signed such legendary rock artists as Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Janis Joplin, Santana, and Bruce Springsteen. In 1974, Davis went on to co-found Arista Records, a label that developed the careers of Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead, Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, and Dionne Warwick among others. While at Arista Records, Davis accepted his first GRAMMY Award for Album Of The Year in 1999 as co-producer of Supernatural alongside Carlos Santana and others.
His business ventures include forming LaFace Records in 1989 with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid, and creating Bad Boy Records in 1994 with Sean "Diddy" Combs. In 2000, J Records was born in partnership with BMG and emerged as a dominant force in producing the works of Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart, and Luther Vandross. Davis received the Trustees Award in 2000 from The Recording Academy, the same year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2003, Davis was appointed chairman/CEO of BMG U.S. Label Group where he oversaw an expanded RCA Music Group including J Records, RCA Records, and Arista Records. After BMG and Sony Music merged, in 2008 Davis was appointed chief creative officer of Sony BMG, where he continues to nurture and develop talent such as Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis.
As a humanitarian, Davis has made tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS, spearheading donations of millions of dollars for AIDS research. In 1990, he turned a 15th anniversary concert at Arista Records into a benefit that raised $2 million. He has received humanitarian honors from such organizations as the American Cancer Society, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, the T.J. Martell Foundation, and the Anti-Defamation League. For his impact on the music business, he has received honors from the American Cinema Foundation and the City of New York, and was the first record executive to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2002, his $5 million donation helped create the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at his undergraduate alma mater, New York University.
The Pre-GRAMMY Gala is part of the GRAMMY Week series of events, culminating with the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 8, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
