Singer Deborah Cox recalls Clive Davis flying in to Toronto during a conference in the mid-1990s to deliver a message to those in charge of the country’s music industry: pay attention.
Cox’s single “Who Do U Love” was a smash in the making, she remembers the music executive arguing, but it was being overlooked at home.
“(He informed) all of the executives there that we have a hit here and there should be more support from the Canadian labels and radio,” recalls Cox.
“He was very, very frank about it. He was very point-blank about it. And I think the industry heard him and was like, ‘Wow, I think we need to really pay attention more to the talent that we have here.’”
For Cox, the moment would become a defining memory of the music mogul she says recognized the Toronto-born R&B artist’s voice long before anyone else did.
Davis died Monday at age 94, weeks after being hospitalized for an upper respiratory issue, his publicist said.
The American music executive and producer is credited with launching the careers of superstars including Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Barry Manilow and many more.
Davis also championed several Canadian artists.
He signed Cox to Arista Records in 1994 at a time when every major Canadian label rejected her, she says.
At the time, Cox says she and her husband were sending out demo tapes in search of a break while she worked as a backup vocalist for Céline Dion.
Her first meeting with Davis came at his bungalow in Los Angeles after one of those demos finally landed on his desk.
“We just wanted an opportunity. Someone to just give me a shot,” she says.
“Once he heard the songs on the demo, that was it. He was ready to sign me as an artist. It changed my life.”
Cox says Davis paired her with renowned producers including Babyface, Dallas Austin and Diane Warren, leading to her 1995 self-titled debut album.
The record went platinum in Canada and reached the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It was followed by her 1998 sophomore album “One Wish,” which produced her breakout hit “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” a single that spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the same chart.
Davis’ gift, Cox says, was his ability to recognize the gifts of others. She adds his early belief shaped not only her career trajectory, but the kind of artist she became.
“I’ve never met an executive that really understood me as an artist like Clive. He absolutely got me. He knew the type of music that I wanted to sing and perform. He knew that I want longevity.”
Cox says Davis saw her not only as an artist but also as a person. In the early 2000s, when she was pregnant with her first son, Isaiah, she says he supported her decision to take a step back from promoting “The Morning After,” her first release on his J Records roster.
“He always made his family a priority, and so when he gave me that opportunity, I thank him for that,” she says, fighting back tears.
“I have balance in my life. And he afforded me that, a career and family — like, that doesn’t always happen. It makes me emotional, because that is the real gift at the end of the day.”
Cox says Davis continued to support her pursuits over the years, including her forays into Broadway. She currently stars in the hit musical “Titanique” at New York’s St. James Theatre, and says Davis attended the opening night.
“I have text messages from not too long ago of us staying in touch and him just always being very supportive of the moves that I’m making in life,” she shares.
“He was just a real advocate.”
Davis also helped bring Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan to U.S. and international audiences through Arista Records, which released albums including her 1991 record “Solace” and her 1997 breakthrough “Surfacing.”
For Cox, it’s Davis’ support on both an artistic and personal level that set him apart in an industry often driven by profits and trends.
“There will never be another executive like him, there will never be a person like him. He was one of one.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2026.
