2023-08-14 23:37:21
The movie and music bigwig was behind Bill Withers, Sixto Rodriguez as well as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Clarence Avant, the music executive and film producer who was informally known as “The Godfather” of black entertainment, died Sunday at his Los Angeles home. He was 92 years old.
“It is with heavy hearts that the Avant/Sarandos family announces the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” read a statement from his children, Nicole and Alexander, as well as his son-in-law Ted Sarandos. “Through his groundbreaking 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 who have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy soothes the sorrow of our loss.
Avant began his career in the music industry in the 1950s as the manager of Teddy P’s Lounge in Newark, New Jersey. He would later create the first joint venture between a black artist and a major record label, create his own recording and broadcasting companies, and purchase KTYM-FM, the first black-owned FM radio station in Los Angeles. .
Under Avant’s now closed record label, Sussex Records, he signed singer, songwriter and producer Bill Withers; guitarist Dennis Coffey; and musician Sixto Rodriguez. In fact, the record label was mentioned in the Oscar-winning Rodriguez documentary, “Searching for Sugar Man.”
He counted Joseph G. “Joe” Glaser, Louis Armstrong’s musical director, among his mentors. As for his own clients, Avant has managed several big names in their fields, including R&B singer Little Willie John; jazz singers Sarah Vaughan, Kim Weston, Luiz Bonfa, Wynton Kelly, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller and Pat Thomas; and rock and roll producer as well as Bob Dylan collaborator Tom Wilson.
Over the course of his career, Avant has been recognized multiple times for his accomplishments, receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016 alongside his former clients, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. He also received the President’s Merit Award as a Grammy Icon at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala in 2018 and received the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Ahmet Ertegun Award in 2021.
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