He has signed many artists who achieved significant success, including Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Laura Nyro, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Billy Joel, Donovan, Bay City Rollers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, Ace of Base, Aerosmith, Olivia Longott, Pink Floyd and Westlife.

[5] Davis was raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn,[5] and attended Erasmus Hall High School.

He received a full scholarship to Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Board of Student Advisers and graduated in 1956.

One of his earliest pop signings was the British folk-rock musician Donovan, who enjoyed a string of successful hit singles and albums released in the U.S. on the Epic Records label.

[12] In June 1967, Davis attended the Monterey Pop Festival after his friends and business associate, Lou Adler, convinced him.

[13] He immediately signed Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Columbia went on to sign Laura Nyro, The Electric Flag, Santana, The Chambers Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Billy Joel; Blood, Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, Aerosmith, and Pink Floyd (for rights to release their material outside of Europe).

[citation needed] One of the most commercially successful recordings released during Davis' tenure at Columbia was Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden, in late 1970.

[citation needed] In 1972, Davis signed Earth, Wind & Fire to Columbia Records.

[24] At Arista, Davis signed Barry Manilow, followed by Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Patti Smith, Westlife, Al Jourgensen, The Outlaws, Eric Carmen, Kenny G, the Bay City Rollers, Exposé, Taylor Dayne, Ace of Base, Air Supply, Ray Parker Jr., Raydio, and Alicia Keys, and he brought Carly Simon, Melissa Manchester, Grateful Dead, The Kinks, Jermaine Stewart, Gil Scott-Heron (on whose episode of TV One's Unsung Davis was interviewed) and Lou Reed to the label.

[citation needed] He co-founded Arista Nashville in 1989 with Tim DuBois, which became the home to Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Pam Tillis, and Brad Paisley.

[citation needed] LaFace subsequently became the home of TLC, Usher, Outkast, Pink and Toni Braxton.

[citation needed] During the Arista years, he set up his own production company Clive Davis Entertainment, for a two-year first-look agreement with movie studio TriStar Pictures in 1987.

[28] BMG would buy a majority stake in J Records in 2002, and Davis would become president and CEO of the larger RCA Music Group.

Davis' continued success in breaking new artists was recognised by the music industry A&R site HitQuarters when the executive was named "world's No.1 A&R of 2001" based on worldwide chart data for that year.

Davis remained with RCA Label Group until 2008, when he was named chief creative officer for Sony BMG.