Clive Davis Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Clive Davis, who died on June 29, closing out a five-decade run in the music business, has been characterized as an innovator, mentor, risk taker, and believer. He was also hailed as an adviser, doling out opinions on everything from vacation spots to restaurants to catchy choruses and music videos. There to receive his words of wisdom were all manner of friends and associates, 10 of whom shared their experiences with Rolling Stone.
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Rob Thomas: Career Planning
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage “When I did my first solo album, everybody was making good money off of Matchbox Twenty. So they were like, ‘I don’t know if this is a good idea.’ After that, I wanted to make another Matchbox record, and everybody went, ‘Bad idea! You have a Number One solo record. You’ve got to do another.’ … Clive [said]: ‘You have to go where your heart is.… If you give them good music, the labels will follow.’”
Rob Thomas appeared on Carlos Santana’s 1999 hit “Smooth,” which spent 12 weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100.
