City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

The soundtrack of my life, Clive Davis with Anthony DeCurtis

eng

autobiography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The soundtrack of my life

842013820

Clive Davis with Anthony DeCurtis

The chief creative officer of Sony Music, music legend Clive Davis, recounts an extraordinary five-decade career in the music business, while also telling a remarkable personal story of triumphs, disappointments, and encounters with some of the greatest musical artists of our time, from Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys. Orphaned and impoverished in his teens, Davis overcame early hardships, earning a full scholarship to New York University and then one to Harvard Law School. As general counsel at Columbia Records, Davis quickly distinguished himself and capitalized on a lucky break to catapult to the presidency of the company. More surprisingly, he was to learn he had 'ears', a rare ability to spot talent and create hit records. Those ears contributed to the fabled success of three companies - Columbia, Arista, and J - where Davis discovered and developed more unique artists than anyone in the history of the music industry. What began on the grass at the Monterey Pop Festival with the signing of Janis Joplin has evolved into a lifelong passion and calling, spanning the years and genres, including rock, pop, R&B, country, jazz fusion, and hip-hop. Through it all, Davis has discovered a pantheon of all-time greats: Bruce Springsteen; Billy Joel; Aerosmith; Carlos Santana; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Chicago; Earth, Wind and Fire; Barry Manilow; Patti Smith; Whitney Houston; Kenny G.; and Alicia Keys. In addition, he has championed and played a vital part in the careers of Simon and Garfunkel, Miles Davis, the Kinks, the Grateful Dead, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Annie Lennox, Carly Simon, Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Jennifer Hudson, and Rod Stewart. His is the imprimatur that has helped shape contemporary music and our popular culture for the past forty-five years. The Soundtrack of My Life is an essential book for anyone interested in the story of popular music, the workings of the music business, the alchemy of hits, and the dramatic life of a brilliant leader . . . and listener

Straight Out of Brooklyn -- Recovering from Shattering Losses -- A Harvard Man -- A New Life Back in New York -- The Offer That Changed My Life -- Running Columbia Records -- Making A&R Moves -- Monterey Pop -- Columbia Gets Hot -- Pearl -- Simon and Garfunkel -- Dylan -- What Kind of Career Do I Want? -- From Santana to Springsteen -- Talent Raids and Finding the Company's Soul -- The End of One Fantasy -- Searching for a New Beginning -- Arista Means Excellence -- Manilow Mania -- Building a New Label -- Patti Smith and Lou Reed -- Ready to Rock -- The Grateful Dead -- Gil Scott-Heron and Ghostbusters -- Broadway, Soundtracks, and Comedy -- Dionne Warwick -- The Queen of Soul -- New Wave, Heavy Metal, and Eurythmics -- Whitney -- Beyond the House That Barry Built -- Arista Pop Explodes... into Milli Vanilli -- Arista Nashville and New Country Music -- LaFace Rules! -- Bad Boy -- Sarah McLachlan, Ace of Base, and the Freewheeling Nineties -- Supernatural Santana -- Instant Major -- Alicia -- The J Records Years -- Rod Stewart and the Great American Songbook -- Rock at the Dawn of the Twenty-first Century -- American Idol and Kelly Clarkson -- More on the Idol Franchise -- Accepting Change and Moving Forward

adult