Showbiz411

When else would Clive Davis publish his autobiography but in February? That’s when he throws his annual  Grammy eve dinner and concert, which last winter was brutally marred by Whitney Houston dying upstairs in the Beverly Hilton two hours before showtime. Clive’s book, published by Simon & Schuster, will be a reason to celebrate this February.

It doesn’t hurt that Bruce Springsteen will get the MusiCares Person of the Year Award the night before: Clive was there at Columbia Records when Bruce delivered “Greetings from Asbury Park.” It was Clive who suggested Bruce try to write a couple of singles for the album. “Spirit in the Night” and “Blinded by the Light” were the result.

Clive’s book (his second, actually) will rake through his 25 years with Whitney Houston, the formation of Arista Records after he left Columbia in 1973, and maybe how he survived a near-ouster in 2000 to start J Records and bring along Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart, and Santana, among others. Anthony DeCurtis is the writer of record.

Will he tell the real story of Milli Vanilli? And how about how he reeled Kelly Clarkson back in when she tried to commit career suicide? And yes, all the stories from Columbia, from Joplin to Simon and Garfunkel to how Philadelphia International had all those soul hits like “Backstabbers” and “When Will I See You Again?” And maybe he can explain what he was doing at Monterey Pop, sitting there in the crowd, rocking out!

It’s going to be a great read.

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.