UPDATE: Barry Manilow, Carly Simon and Dionne Warwick have been added to the Clive Davis Radio City Music Hall show. Tickets go on sale today, March 21st.
A new documentary about legendary music executive Clive Davis will open the Tribeca Film Festival with a screening at Radio City Music Hall on April 19th.
The premiere of Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, will be followed by a concert featuring artists whove worked with Davis, including Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire and Jennifer Hudson.
Directed by Chris Perkel, the new documentary is based on Davis 2013 autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life. Raised in Brooklyn and orphaned as a teenager, Davis earned full scholarships to New York University and Harvard Law, working at a white-shoe law firm before making his way to CBS and its imprint, Columbia Records, in the mid-Sixties. There, his legal prowess meshed with his interests in the burgeoning worlds of rock and folk.
Q&A: Clive Davis on Whitney, Aretha and Spat With Kelly ClarksonKiss' Top 10 Albums Ranked5 Devices You Need to Set Up Your Smart Home
Directing this film provided a wonderful challenge because Clive Davis stands at the center of a culture-defining array of talent that has shaped the last half century of contemporary music, Perkel said in a statement.
After leaving CBS and Columbia, Davis founded Arista records in 1974 and during his time there, launched Arista Nashville, partnered with L.A. Reid and Babyface to launch LaFace Records and teamed with Sean Combs to co-found Bad Boy Records. In 2000, Davis founded another new label, J Records, then did stints at RCA and Sony BMG. He currently serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment.
Throughout his time in the music business, Davis has signed and worked with countless artists including Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Santana, Patti Smith, Johnny Cash, Chicago, Lou Reed, Blood Sweat and Tears, Rod Stewart, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston. Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Liveswill feature interviews with many of these artists, with Billboardreporting in 2016 that a sizzle reel featured Springsteen, Smith, the Grateful Deads Bob Weir, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
The Tribeca Film Festival, meanwhile, will announce its slate of feature films at the beginning of March. The festival will run from April 19th through the 30th.