Clive Davis and David Clayton-Thomas #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday, and it's time for music.

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers?  We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join!  We are brought to you by Cathy of Curious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.  

Why not join us?  Our theme this week is "You Pick".  

It's time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven.  Actually, two.

Clive Davis died  at home on June 22 at the age of 94.  He was not a performer but, instead, he had the ability to pick out future music superstars, sign them to recording contracts, and suggest songs or changes in music.  He was a music executive for several record companies.  I may never have heard of him except for a couple of episodes of American Idol years ago, where he worked with Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Fantasia as they were being discovered by the American public,  He was also a record producer who won four  Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. 

One of his four children is also a Grammy Award-winning record producer.

Here are some of the artists Clive Davis signed or recommended be signed with the labels he worked for: Billy Joel. Aretha Franklin.  Santana. Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company,  Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bruce Springsteen.  Chicago. Aerosmith.  Earth, Wind and Fire.  Alicia Keyes. Whitney Houston. 

One of those bands, Blood, Sweat and Tears (BS&T), was discovered by Davis when they were fronted by Al Kooper.  But, due to infighting, the band broke up.  Kooper left.  As the band's drummer tried to reunite the band, the drummer heard a singer performing at a New York City club.  That singer was David Clayton-Thomas, who joined the reformed BS&T as their new lead singer.

Davis then encouraged well, pushed) BS&T towards a more commercial sound, and they were on their way to a few years of success.  But by 1972, Thomas left the group and went on to other projects.   In 1996, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

David Clayton-Thomas, aged 84, died June 24 from complications of cancer.

My tribute pick is obvious:  Blood, Sweat and Tears' cover of Laura Nyro's And When I Die.

Now, back to Clive Davis.

How about some Billy Joel?  A live performance of the song Captain Jack which became a local Philadelphia radio hit in 1972 caught the attention of Davis and the rest is history. This is the recording and I hope you can access it (you will have to do it directly from You Tube so here's a direct link:  https://youtu.be/-aMs0AlE3S8?si=tSf9H3oSIoD7K5Pp).  Captain Jack, incidentally, was based on a real heroin dealer and this may not be one to play around youngsters.

Davis recommended that country singer Lynn Anderson release a song called Rose Garden as a single in 1970.  It became a huge crossover hit for her.

One of the executives Davis hired was a young musician by the name of Tony Orlando, who was signed by Davis when Orlando was 16.  This was his first hit, from 1961, a song called Halfway to Paradise, a song co-written by Carole King.

In turn, Orlando signed a musician you may have heard of - Barry Manilow. His first hit was a song called Mandy. 

Finally, there was Whitney Houston.  Rather than her first 1985 hit, I am picking  I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) from 1987.

And that's another sad tribute wrap.

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.