HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence sends off one of the biggest names ever in music. Clive Davis is hard to sum up. Passing away Monday at 94, Clive Davis was among the most important record company moguls. He started as an entertainment attorney, became a huge record executive, was a critical A&R guy — that's Artists and Repertoire, the people who signed the acts. He was a producer, a visionary who would pair artists with songs.