Tonight, Clive Davis and the Recording Academy have their annual pre-Grammy dinner and show, this year turned into a fundraising event for Musicares’ efforts for wildfire relief. Donations are already huge.
So last night Clive had another new annual experience: a private dinner for friends and family at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Clive throws it himself, what the almost 93 year old music mogul seems a “small” gathering so the lifetime New Yorker can see friends all at once.
Was their entertainment? Enter pop icon Neil Sedaka, only 86, who sat down at a baby grand piano and knocked out five of his hits like a champ. The guests went wild with standing ovations. Neil was his usual, self effacing sweetheart. The songs, like “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” “Laughter in the Rain,” and “Solitaire,” have stood the test of time beautifully. Everyone sang along.
And who was everyone? Dame Joan Collins, looking like several million bucks, plus Barry Manilow, songwriters Diane Warren and Kenny Babyface Edmonds, famed record producer and performer Peter Asher, supermodel Beverly Johnson, former Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, the great philanthropist Barbara Davis, her charity fundraiser superstar daughter Nancy Davis and her husband Ken Rickel, star entrepreneur Nikki Haskell, Republic Records chief Monte Lipman, “Laugh In” creator George Schlatter, just to name a few in the small gathering of over 100 luminaries.
I was thrilled to run into Candy Spelling, Broadway producer and mother of Tori, who told me the grim details of her $41 million Malibu home burning down during the fires. She’ll making a big donation tonight.
Tonight marks the 50th anniversary of Clive’s famous pre-Grammy dinner. Davis told the story of how it all began when Manilow, after attending the Grammys as an artist on Clive’s brand new Arista Records, asked where the after party was. Davis responded, “Party? Only 10 people work for us.” But that put a bug in his ear, and the party that people fight to get into was born.
Who’s coming tonight? These are closely held secrets. But come back here Sunday morning for all the dish!
