The venerable head of the music business, Clive Davis, has revealed his bisexuality by publishing his new memoir.
While many of the actions for which Davis is primarily responsible are known, Davis himself may not be.
Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, Kelly ClarksonAlicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Christina Aguilera, Carlos Santana, Whitney Houston, the Grateful Dead and many others were among the artists he signed to both CBS and Arista Records.
He co-founded LaFace Records with LA Reid, Babyface, and Bad Boy Records co-founder Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Occasionally, people with romantic relationships with men and women are labeled bisexual by the media, even if they don’t really identify as such. Davis, on the other hand, now proudly identifies as bis*xual. From his conversation with Cynthia McFadden for ABC News:
And there are very personal revelations: the end of his two marriages, and in the final chapter, Davis discusses his sexuality. He’s bis
8xual, he told me. Since the end of his second marriage in 1985, he has been sexually involved with men. Initially with both men and women, Davis said, but for the past 20 years with two male partners: a doctor for 13 years and with another man he doesn’t name for the past seven years.
He tells me that bisexuality is “maligned and misunderstood” but that it is his truth and he decided it was time he said so publicly. I asked Davis about the old adage that people are “gay, straight, or lie.”
“I’m not lying,” Davis said. ”[Bis*xuality] consists. For over 50 years I have never had sex with a man. It was not suppressed. I had very good sexual relations with women.”
Katie, this afternoon Davis will talk to Katie Couric about his book, his career and his sexual orientation.
Hello all,
So I just heard that Clive Davis is releasing a memoir and spreading false information about me and my music… http://t.co/YPAISlsa
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) February 19, 2013
As a producer, Davis has received four Grammy nominations and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is currently one of the most influential people coming out as LGBT.
Clive Davis reveals his sexuality and legendary artist secrets
In addition to recording everyone from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin, he also discovered artists as diverse as Janis Joplin, Santana, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys. The Grateful Dead and Aerosmith were there. Did I not mention Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Barry Manilow?
Together with LA Reid and Babyface, he founded a company that Usher and Pink used as a base of operations. He co-founded Bad Boy Records with Sean “Puffy” Combs and recorded Notorious BIG. The list is truly endless.
The former lawyer, who later became president of CBS Records, has been a critical player in the music business for nearly 50 years. Davis, currently 80 years old, is the head of the creative department of Sony Music Entertainment. Last week he was on the cover of Billboard magazine.
Check out some related articles here:
The Sound Track of My Life, his autobiography, is now available. It chronicles his beginnings in Brooklyn, the death of his parents when he was a teenager, and his triumphant scholarship-funded ascent through New York University and Harvard Law School.
The 500+ page book is packed with often brutal backstage stories from some of the most well-known artists of our time, including how Janis Joplin suggested they have sex to seal their deal, how John Lennon gave him advice on the creative process, and how false allegations of embezzlement ended his career at CBS
In addition, there are very personal confessions, including the dissolution of Davis’s two marriages and his sexual orientation in the last chapter of the book. He told me he is bisexual. He has had intercourse with men since his second marriage ended in 1985. Davis claimed he initially had relationships with men and women, but has spent the past 20 years with two men: a doctor for 13 years and another man for the last seven .
When asked why he won’t name the guys he’s dated, he replied that it’s their privacy, not his, that he’s defending.
For most of the past month, we’ve been following Davis to keep up. Davis is entertaining to hang out with, whether in his magnificent office at the top of New York’s Sony Building, in his gorgeous, art-filled New York duplex, or in his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
There’s always something going on. Older superstars need his ear and emerging young composers want to talk to him. He never gets upset. Has time for everyone. Always match the handkerchief and ties.
Check out some related articles here:
Last lines
Legendary music business figurehead Clive Davis has come out as bis*xual in a new memoir. The acts for which Davis was primarily responsible may not be well known, but Davis himself is.
Stay connected with us at Leedaily.com for the latest and recent updates.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.