This documentary traces the life of Clive Davis, the legendary music executive who helped shape popular music for more than five decades. As head of Columbia Records, Arista, and J Records, he discovered and developed artists including Janis Joplin, Santana, Alicia Keys, and—most notably—Whitney Houston. Known for his uncanny ear and ability to spot talent, Davis has won multiple Grammy Awards and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The film is filled with stories from seminal moments in music history, like when Davis saw Big Brother and the Holding Company perform at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Dressed in a suit and looking “square as hell,” he was completely out of place among the long-haired hippies. But as he recalled, he had “a spine-tingling feeling that I was witnessing a musical, cultural, and social revolution” while watching Janis Joplin perform. She became the first artist he signed as the new president of Columbia Records—and the rest, as they say, is history.
We also hear the story of Davis discovering Whitney Houston when she was just 19 years old, and follow their nearly 30-year journey together—one filled with both extraordinary triumph and heartbreaking loss.
This is what fascinates me most: how did this dorky lawyer from the East Coast, with his suits, glasses, and short hair, have such an unmatched ear for music? How did he connect so deeply with artists and earn their trust? That blend of business acumen and instinctive ability to spot and nurture talent is what makes this film so compelling.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
x Lisa
