Clarence Avant was a music executive and businessman who advised some of the biggest names in music history.
- Died: August 13, 2023 (Who else died on August 13?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles at the age of 92.
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Clarence Avant’s legacy
Born in Climax, North Carolina, and the oldest of eight children, Avant moved to New Jersey as a teen and got his start in the music business managing a club in Newark. He quickly moved on to managing the acts of such performers as Little Willie John, Sarah Vaughan, Wynton Kelly, and others.
By the late 1960s, Avant was spearheading groundbreaking deals for Black artists, such as brokering a major partnership between Venture Records and MGM. He formed Sussex Records in 1969 and Avant Garde Broadcasting in 1971. Avant had a talent for getting people in a room together and making deals happen. He worked with and mentored big names in the music industry over the years, including Quincy Jones, David Geffen, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Whitney Houston (1963–2012), Lionel Richie, and many others. In 2016, Jones said that Avant had been “the silent architect of so many deals it would make your head spin.”
Avant was the focus of the 2019 Netflix documentary, “The Black Godfather,” which explored his life, career, and behind-the-scenes impact on the music industry. Avant received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was given such honors as the President’s Merit Award as a Grammy Icon and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Tributes to Clarence Avant
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
