Billy Joel and Aerosmith are among the latest artists sharing tributes to legendary music executive Clive Davis, who passed away Monday at the age of 94.
Joel shared a clip on Instagram from a 1974 interview where Davis talks about signing him.
“Clive Davis convinced me to sign with Columbia Records many years ago,” Joel wrote in the caption. “He recognized the talent of great musicians and understood the power of contemporary music,” noting, “I will always be grateful to Clive for his recognition of the critical importance of songwriting.”
Aerosmith shared a clip of the song “No Surprize,” about how they got their big break. In the track, they sing about Davis telling them he was going to make them a star.
“Our hearts are with the friends and family of Clive Davis, and all the artists and music lovers whose lives he changed with his vision, talent, and generosity,” they wrote. “He discovered Aerosmith, an unknown bar band, in 1972 and swiftly signed us to Columbia Records. He stood by us through our resurgence in the 1980s when our future wasn’t promised.”
They added, “He was a great man whose life’s work became the melody of modern culture and whose memory will always be a blessing.”
In addition, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton each shared their own tributes to Davis, with Tyler calling him, “The man with golden ears and Infinite Wisdom.”
Others paying tribute to Davis include Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Kenny Loggins and Dionne Warwick, who released a statement in which she called Davis “one of a kind.”
“I can think of no other record man that seemed to have that magical ability to know a hit when he heard a song,” Warwick added.
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