Clarence Avant, Former Motown Chairman and ‘Godfather of Black Music,’ Dies at 92

Clarence Avant, whose decades of trailblazing work as an artist manager, mentor, executive and record label owner earned him the title of “Godfather of Black Music,” died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 92.

“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come,” his family said in a statement. “The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”

As a manager early on in his career, the North Carolina native worked with Sarah Vaughan, Freddie Hubbard, Little Willie John, Jimmy Smith and producer Creed Taylor, among others. He went on to broker the sale of Stax Records in the 1960s and notably discovered and signed “Ain’t No Sunshine” singer Bill Withers. In the ’70s, Avant founded KAGB-FM (Avant Garde Broadcasting), one of the first Black-owned radio stations in the U.S.

He also launched two record companies, Sussex and Tabu, cultivating rosters that included Withers, Dennis Coffey, the S.O.S. Band, Wadsworth Mansion, The Gallery and The Presidents.

Avant’s connection with the S.O.S. Band sparked a introduction to emerging songwriting/production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Avant played an instrumental role in the pair’s success (as well as that of another hit-making duo, Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds). He was also the promoter of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” tour, Jackson’s first ever solo world tour.

He was named Motown chairman in 1993 and four years later became the first African-American to serve on the International Management Board for PolyGram.

Avant ran his Interior Music Group and Avant Garde Music publishing companies until they were sold in 2018 to Universal Music Group.

Avant was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and in 2019, was honored by the Recording Academy with the Grammy Salute to Industry Icons award. Over the decades he also received a Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, an NAACP Image Awards Hall Of Fame Award, a BET Honors Entrepreneur Award, and induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2008, the Recording Academy honored Avant with its Trustees Award.

Involved in the social, political and sporting arenas, his relationships range from the presidential (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama) to the entrepreneurial (Oprah Winfrey) to the boxing ring (Muhammad Ali, for whom he secured a variety special on ABC).

Avant was the subject of the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather (2019). The film chronicles Avant’s colorful, barrier-breaking career and enduring legacy through interviews with an industry who’s who. Among those paying tribute are Snoop Dogg, Sean “Diddy” Combs, hit songwriter Diane Warren, Lionel Richie, David Geffen, music/film producer Suzanne de Passe, Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, actress Cicely Tyson and Jamie Foxx.

Avant married Jacqueline Gray in 1967 and the pair moved from New York to Beverly Hills. Their daughter, Nicole Avant, is a film producer and former U.S. Ambassador and is married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos; Clarence and Jacqueline’s son, Alex Avant, is a talent representative for a major Los Angeles-based agency. In December 2021, Jacqueline Avant was murdered during a attempted burglary of the couples’ Beverly Hills home. She was 81.