![]() Joplin’s career also ended far too soon, Davis said. Janis Joplin had a piece of Clive Davis’ heart. He is proud of discovering the crossover artist - who sold over 200 million records worldwide - and helping her develop her natural creativity. ĭavis still mourns the premature death of Houston. “Music is a natural passion for me.” At the same time he’s combing through tapes and videos of old Whitney Houston, he’s excited about signing The Voice’s 18-year-old Avery Wilson. “I love the industry, or else I wouldn’t still do this,” he said. ![]() I asked Davis a few questions, like how he’s managed to stay fresh in a career that’s spanned Janis Joplin in the 1960s, and American Idol stars like Hudson today. ![]() His influence has extended from Columbia Records to Arista, J and now Sony Music. He’s worked with Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Arrowsmith, Alicia Keyes, Simon & Garfunkel, Miles Davis, Rod Stewart and Kelly Clarkson. An orphan who earned a full scholarship at New York University and went on to Harvard Law School, he rocketed from general counsel at Columbia Records to presidency of the company. It’s part of the Westport Library’s Malloy Lecture in the Arts series.ĭavis has plenty to talk about. Westporters get their chance to see it this Friday, May 2 (7:30 p.m., Bedford Middle School auditorium) - for free. They’ve done the Q-and-A format a few times before, and it’s always fascinating. The 2 men co-authored The Soundtrack of My Life, a memoir about Davis’ long, astonishing life in the music business. Yet when the 6-time Grammy winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and discoverer/promoter of megastars ranging from Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston and Jennifer Hudson sits down for a public conversation with Rolling Stone‘s Anthony DeCurtis, Davis never knows what he’ll be asked. He describes Mike Borchetta, the Staples High School student who brought Bo Diddley and Harvey & the Moonglows to town (and who asked 15-year-old Friedman to take over as drummer, when the Moonglows’ percussionist passed out drunk).Īfter nearly 6 decades in the music business, there’s little that surprises Clive Davis. The essays also provide context for his life - including his introduction to rock music, as a Westport boy growing up in the 1950s. They are short but insightful portraits of nearly everyone he’s met in the music industry, from mega-stars to mighta-beens. They found a documentary film from 2003, which showed the same scaffolding behind the bus.įriedman’s essays complement the photos. They followed that rabbit hole all the way to the 1970 Festival Express in Toronto. The site: Columbia University.įriedman also had no idea where he took a well-composed image showing a mother, child, VW bus and police officers.Įventually, he and his wife realized the police officers were not Americans. For example, a shot of an outdoor concert with Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge looked like a college - but there were no records they performed outside, on a campus.įinally, Donna saw a photo online of a building that matched one in the background. One of the hardest parts was figuring out exactly where each photo was taken, and when.ĭonna spent many of hours researching. They’re accompanied by essays and explanatory text. Many of the 100 photos have never been seen - not even in the photographer’s shows. “Exposed: The Lost Negatives and Untold Stories of Michael Friedman” is in the Kickstarter phase - almost ready to print. More than 5 years later, that daunting project is almost complete. The photos were shipped to the California Heritage Museum, then to a year-long exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Īttendees in LA and Cleveland repeated what Westport gallery-goers said: Michael should compile them into a book. ![]() Janis Joplin (Photo copyright Michael Friedman)
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