Photo: Clarence Avant Day | By Jem Aswad, Variety / Yahoo | Clarence Avant, whose unofficial title of the “Black Godfather” spanned the worlds of music, sports, entertainment and politics, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from his family. No cause of death was provided; he was 92.
“It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” the statement from his children, Nicole and Alexander and son-in-law Ted Sarandos. “Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘the Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics, and sports. Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”
Avant’s list of accomplishments is long, broad, and varied. Initially a nightclub manager, he spent the 1960s managing the likes of Lalo Schifrin and Jimmy Smith. He went on to found two record labels, through which he gave the world Bill Withers, Sixto Rodriguez, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. He helped broker the sale of the legendary Stax Records back in the late ’60s; 30 years later, he became chairman of the board of Motown Records, and subsequently the first African American board member at PolyGram. He launched one of the first fully black-owned radio stations, and didn’t hesitate to take stands in defense of Black culture as a consultant to MGM and ABC in the 1970s. He also served as an advisor, official and otherwise, to Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama.
But it’s for his role as an industry mentor in the music business that Avant is perhaps most lauded. In addition to Jam and Lewis, figures as diverse as L.A. Reid and Babyface, Sylvia Rhone, Jheryl Busby, and Jimmy Iovine count him as a key mentor. He persuaded NFL star Jim Brown to launch an acting career. He was an active figure in politics since the 1960s, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As Avant’s lifelong best friend Quincy Jones once put it, “Everyone in this business has been by Clarence’s desk, if they’re smart.”
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Read the rest of this article here with more of Mr. Avant’s accolades:
https://www.aol.com/entertainment/clarence-avant-godfather-black-entertainment-115900847.html
Additional reporting by Andrew Barker.
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Related story:
Clintons say they’re ‘deeply saddened’ by death of Clarence Avant, ‘Godfather of Black music’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/clintons-deeply-saddened-death-clarence-151254958.html
Photo: October 7, 2016 is a day that many music enthusiasts won’t soon forget as the city of Los Angeles has deemed it “Clarence Avant Day”. During his recent Hollywood Walk Of Fame induction ceremony, Avant was celebrated for the sixty years of trailblazing work he’s done behind the scenes as a music executive.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=431403057683423&set=ecnf.100067025164789
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OTHER NOTABLE MUSICIANS’ DEATHS
If you are thinking of committing suicide, please think of how much it will hurt your family and friends. Warning Signs of Suicide – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 and 888-628-9454 for Spanish. Learn the signs of someone who may be contemplating suicide.
If you want to know more about any of the musicians we lost, please check them out at
http://www.wikipedia.com
August 2023
16: Jerry Moss, 88, American Hall of Fame recording executive, co-founder of A&M Records; Renata Scotto, 89, Italian operatic soprano.
14: Jessica Cash, 84, British soprano and voice coach; Petch Osathanugrah, 69, Thai singer-songwriter, president of Bangkok University, heart failure.
13: Clarence Avant, 92, American Hall of Fame music executive and film producer (Save the Children, Jason’s Lyric), founder of Sussex Records; Mohammad Esmaili, 88, Iranian musician; Rachel Laurin, 62, Canadian organist, composer and music educator; Magoo, 50, American rapper (Timbaland & Magoo) and songwriter (“Up Jumps da Boogie”).
12: Vilayil Faseela, 63, Indian singer; Berit Lindholm, 88, Swedish soprano.
11: Carlos Camacho, 73, Puerto Rican singer (Los Hispanos); Tom Jones, 95, American lyricist (The Fantasticks, 110 in the Shade, I Do! I Do!), cancer; Florence Malgoire, 63, French classical violinist, pedagogue and conductor; Lizeta Nikolaou, 71, Greek singer, fall; Ron Peno, 68, Australian singer-songwriter (Died Pretty), cancer; Shoji Tabuchi, 79, Japanese-American fiddler, cancer.
10: Brad Thomson, American guitarist (The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2023
Photo: Clarence Avant Award
August 17, 2023| In Memoriam| Barb Dye