Clarence Avant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2006) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Clarence Avant is a music executive. During his 40 year career, Avant has represented the blues musician Little Willie John, rock and roll pioneer Tom Wilson, and jazz producer Creed Taylor. In the late 1960s, Avant successfully engineered the first joint venture between an African-American artist and a major record company. Under his own record companies, Sussex Records and later Tabu Records, Avant signed recording artists Bill Withers, Dennis Coffey, The Presidents, in addition to playing a key role in the successful rise of Grammy winning producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
In 1993, Avant was named Chairman of Motown Records and, four years later, he became the first African-American to serve on the International Management Board for Polygram. Today, Avant is president of his own publishing companies, Avant Garde and Interior Music Corp. Clarence Avant also serves a member of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Pepsi-Cola African-American Advisory Board. Avant was recently awarded with an honorary doctorate from Morehouse College. Avant was featured on the cover of the February 11, 2006 issue of Billboard magazine.
On February 10, 2008, the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded him the Trustees Award.
