Clive Davis, 89, is hard at work from his art-filled home in an affluent New York neighborhood. Davis was contacted when Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration planned to host a star-studded big concert on the 21st of August 21 to commemorate New York City’s return from pandemic lockdown.
He said that he has to live up to what the mayor has described as one of the greatest concerts of all time.
Clive Davis has aided in the start of the careers of Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, and Paul Simon during the course of his 50-year career in the music business.
Contributor Kelefa Sanneh says that New York seems like Gotham, and when something is required to be done, they flash the Bat-Signal, signaling you to act.
Davis said that we’ve all gone through a trying time throughout the epidemic and it has impacted every one of us personally and our community as a whole. As a result, he is taking it very seriously. He is confident that he will not be able to rest until the very end!
Davis, the son of a salesman, was reared in Brooklyn. Following the unexpected deaths of his parents a year apart, Davis graduated from New York University on a full scholarship.
Davis asserted that he owes New York his education, his life, and the experiences he has experienced.
Davis signed Bruce Springsteen to his first record contract in 1972. However, Davis wanted his whole business to realize how unique he believed Springsteen was. And Springsteen remains appreciative to this day, as he informed Clive Davis on a recent Zoom call.
Paul Simon is also on the bill, and he understands what it’s like to perform in front of a large audience in the heart of Central Park. He reconnected with Art Garfunkel there 40 years ago for a performance.
Simon said that both of them were very anxious and it was a sizable crowd. However, once you’re out there, it takes a little time to adjust to the beat, and then you’re OK. Thus, it was a significant emotional occasion and a really enjoyable evening for both Artie and himself.
Davis wanted to ensure that the event included a diverse lineup of headliners, including Simon and Springsteen but also The Killers, Polo G, and Colombian pop phenomenon Maluma.
Davis shares a similar work ethic with a large number of the musicians playing at Saturday’s event.
Simon says that the joy is in the job and that he must admit that he gets a feeling of satisfaction from knowing that millions of people appreciated what he accomplished and gained something from it.
He further said that they’re not only utilizing music to alter the atmosphere; they are also using it to represent recuperation, resurrection and rebirth, and this is why it is so unique.
