Before Alicia Keys was a girl on fire, she was just a teenager who needed someone to believe in her. And Clive Davis was that person. That’s why the singer-songwriter was sure to attend the legendary record executive’s funeral on Monday (June 29), giving a moving speech in honor of the man who changed her life.
After taking a moment to compose himself with his back to the audience at New York City’s Central Synagogue, Keys eventually turned toward the podium. “I’m in a weird place because I’m not really a crybaby,” she said through tears.
“This is called a letter to the first man who believed,” she continued, holding the paper on which she had written her remarks. “Dear Clive, there are moments in life when you feel like they were written before you actually lived them. It’s like the universe is silently conspiring in the background, arranging people, places and timing for something special to emerge. Meeting you was one of those moments for me.”
The 17-time Grammy winner recalled her first appointment with Davis, then still president of Arista Records, when she was 15 years old. Due to a train delay, she was late for the meeting, even though she ran full speed down the street to get there.
“The manager was furious,” Keyes recalled, but Davis was still impressed with her. He signed her to Arista in 1998, and when he founded J Records two years later, she followed suit, releasing her debut album Songs in a Minor in 2001, which reached number 1 on Billboard for three weeks.
“You saw something in me that I was just beginning to see in myself,” Keyes said, her voice breaking during the funeral. “It’s a gift I can never fully repay, just an honor.”
The vocalist ended his speech with humor, recalling some funny memories from his early days working with Davis. “‘There’s good news, but there’s also bad news,'” she recalled him telling her. “‘The good news is you’re going to be performing at my Grammy party. This is the first time I’m introducing a new artist. The bad news is you have to follow Gladys Knight.'”
“You have set yourself apart in a world that often reduces art to commerce and genius to product,” she added of the industry titan. “You are woven into the fabric of who I am. You taught me what it’s like to overcome with integrity and intention…Thank you for your music, your vision, your encouragement, your friendship. Thank you for seeing me completely and completely from the beginning.”
Davis passed away at the age of 94 on June 22, surrounded by his family at his home in New York. His funeral also featured speeches from Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick and Bruce Springsteen (two other stars who owed their careers to music giants), as well as moving performances of Jennifer Hudson’s “Hallelujah” and “I Will Always Love You.”
After making a name for himself as president of Columbia Records, Davis founded Arista in 1974, signing great artists such as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti Smith. He founded J Records after being kicked out of the label. After majority shareholder BMG merged with Sony, he became chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment, a position he held from 2008 until his death.
The partnership between Keys and Davis ultimately resulted in eight studio albums, five of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Keys also had five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Empire State of Mind,” which he performed at the New York Knicks’ victory parade in New York just days before Davis’ death and spent five weeks at No. 1 on the chart alongside Jay-Z.
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