In the middle of August this year, three legends of the music industry died within 72 hours of each other: founder of A&m Records Jerry Moss; music lawyer Abe Somer; and my father, the “Black Godfather” himself, Clarence Avant. These three men helped define the recording industry of the past six decades, and what’s more, they were inseparable best friends.
Somer, Moss, and Avant met in New York City in the early 1960s, and in the six decades since, never left one another’s side, never once let their “soul contract” expire.
Somer, Moss, and Avant met in New York City in the early 1960s, and in the six decades since, never left one another’s side, never once let their “soul contract” expire.
- 10/28/2023
- by Nicole Avant
- Rollingstone.com
Clarence Avant, the music executive and film producer who was known unofficially as “The Godfather” of Black entertainment, died on Sunday in his Los Angeles home. He was 92.
“It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” a statement from his children, Nicole and Alexander, as well as his son-in-law Ted Sarandos read. “Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘the Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics and sports. 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. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”
Avant began his music industry career in the 1950s as a manager of Teddy P’s Lounge in Newark, New Jersey. He would later go on...
“It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” a statement from his children, Nicole and Alexander, as well as his son-in-law Ted Sarandos read. “Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘the Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics and sports. 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. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”
Avant began his music industry career in the 1950s as a manager of Teddy P’s Lounge in Newark, New Jersey. He would later go on...
- 8/14/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
Clarence Avant, the veteran music and entertainment executive known as the “Black Godfather” who was hailed for his influence and guidance by Quincy Jones, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, and others, died at home in Los Angeles on Sunday. He was 92.
Avant’s death was announced Monday through a statement shared by his family. “It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” the statement read. “Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘The Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music,...
Avant’s death was announced Monday through a statement shared by his family. “It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant,” the statement read. “Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘The Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Larisha Paul and Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Rodriguez, the singer-songwriter who gained renewed fame thanks to the documentary “Searching for Sugar Man”, has died at age 81.
The news of his passing was shared on his official website, which posted, “It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today.”
Read More: John Gosling, Keyboardist For The Kinks, Dead At 75
The statement added, “We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters – Sandra, Eva and Regan – and to all his family. Rodriguez was 81 years old. May His Dear Soul Rest In Peace.”
Rodriguez, who hailed from Detroit, broke onto the music scene playing in clubs around the city while working on a Chrysler assembly line during the day.
After attracting the attention of producers Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey, he released his 1970 debut album Cold Fact.
Both his first and second album, Coming From Reality, were commercial failures,...
The news of his passing was shared on his official website, which posted, “It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today.”
Read More: John Gosling, Keyboardist For The Kinks, Dead At 75
The statement added, “We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters – Sandra, Eva and Regan – and to all his family. Rodriguez was 81 years old. May His Dear Soul Rest In Peace.”
Rodriguez, who hailed from Detroit, broke onto the music scene playing in clubs around the city while working on a Chrysler assembly line during the day.
After attracting the attention of producers Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey, he released his 1970 debut album Cold Fact.
Both his first and second album, Coming From Reality, were commercial failures,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Thirty six hours or so after he finished his stint as the Academy Awards’ first DJ-as-orchestra, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the show’s musical director, has posted a 144-track playlist including every single song he played during the three-plus-hour-long Oscars ceremony this year. Unfortunately, it does not include the music that he and the Roots recorded paying homage to great Hollywood composers (which he described to Variety in an interview last week), but it’s an amazing 10-hour-plus jam nonetheless. It begins with James Brown’s “The Boss,” concludes with three songs from Prince, and hits everything from Donna Summer to the “Super Mario” theme, from Bohannon to the Human League, from Louis Prima to Toto, from Johnny Cash to Bjork, from the Fatback Band to Ronnie Laws, along the way.
Of course, in his two day jobs, Quest is both the drummer and founder of the Roots and the musical...
Of course, in his two day jobs, Quest is both the drummer and founder of the Roots and the musical...
- 4/27/2021
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
For decades, the world’s highest-profile entertainers, athletes and politicians have turned to a single man for advice during the most pivotal moments in their lives and careers. Clarence Avant has advised Grammy Award winners, Hall of Famers, a Heavyweight Champion of the World and two U.S. Presidents — and yet the music industry veteran remains virtually unknown. Reginald Hudlin’s new Netflix documentary “The Black Godfather” looks to change that.
“Here’s a guy who is involved in everything you know and don’t know, that you love or care about, from the music you listen to, to politicians you’re voting for, and athletes you cheer, but you really don’t know who he is,” Hudlin said.
Hudlin has known the “Godfather” for most of his professional life, and, after previous attempts to get him to tell his story, finally convinced the 88-year-old music executive to come out of the shadows.
“Here’s a guy who is involved in everything you know and don’t know, that you love or care about, from the music you listen to, to politicians you’re voting for, and athletes you cheer, but you really don’t know who he is,” Hudlin said.
Hudlin has known the “Godfather” for most of his professional life, and, after previous attempts to get him to tell his story, finally convinced the 88-year-old music executive to come out of the shadows.
- 6/28/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Melvin Ragin, known as “Wah Wah Watson” for the quivering, darting, wonderfully textured sounds he conjured from his guitar and wah wah pedal in countless sessions for stars of soul and funk, died on Wednesday. He was 67 years old.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we regret to announce the passing of my loving husband Wah Wah Watson today at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica,” the guitarist’s wife, Itsuko Aono, said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed, but music is eternal. Wherever he is,...
“It’s with a heavy heart that we regret to announce the passing of my loving husband Wah Wah Watson today at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica,” the guitarist’s wife, Itsuko Aono, said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed, but music is eternal. Wherever he is,...
- 10/25/2018
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
In the Midnight Hour: The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett By Tony Fletcher (Oxford University Press)
The art of writing bios is no easy feat, but for British-born/NY-based scribe Tony Fletcher, well, he makes it seem all so easy even though he's research is exhaustive. His bios on R.E.M (Remarks Remade - The Story of R.E.M.), Keith Moon (Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon), The Smiths (A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths, to name but a few, are must-reads. His latest on the turbulent life of R&B legend Wilson Pickett -- In the Midnight Hour: The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett -- may be his best yet.
For the charismatic '60s crossover icon "Wicked" Wilson Pickett, Fletcher pulls no punches with interviews with his family, business partners, musicians, etc., to shed light on his troubled legacy.
The art of writing bios is no easy feat, but for British-born/NY-based scribe Tony Fletcher, well, he makes it seem all so easy even though he's research is exhaustive. His bios on R.E.M (Remarks Remade - The Story of R.E.M.), Keith Moon (Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon), The Smiths (A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths, to name but a few, are must-reads. His latest on the turbulent life of R&B legend Wilson Pickett -- In the Midnight Hour: The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett -- may be his best yet.
For the charismatic '60s crossover icon "Wicked" Wilson Pickett, Fletcher pulls no punches with interviews with his family, business partners, musicians, etc., to shed light on his troubled legacy.
- 5/15/2017
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
“It’s exactly what I would have done.”
So that’s where his suits come from. Jimmy’s odious wardrobe, part of a calculated campaign of self-sabotage meant to force Cliff Main into firing him without cause so that he can keep his fat corporate signing bonus, are a master class in how to connect the dots between a prequel and its originating work. The suits, as seen in Breaking Bad, scanned perfectly well as just another part of Saul’s half-cultivated, half-inherent gaudiness, but seeing their origin in both a bout of petty rebellion and a sudden burst of honesty in packaging puts a whole new layer to it. That they were weighted equally between “cheap trick” and “genuine expression of self” is a smart, affecting piece of storytelling.
Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band’s ‘Scorpio’ scores the montage in which the suits are introduced, a wonderful...
So that’s where his suits come from. Jimmy’s odious wardrobe, part of a calculated campaign of self-sabotage meant to force Cliff Main into firing him without cause so that he can keep his fat corporate signing bonus, are a master class in how to connect the dots between a prequel and its originating work. The suits, as seen in Breaking Bad, scanned perfectly well as just another part of Saul’s half-cultivated, half-inherent gaudiness, but seeing their origin in both a bout of petty rebellion and a sudden burst of honesty in packaging puts a whole new layer to it. That they were weighted equally between “cheap trick” and “genuine expression of self” is a smart, affecting piece of storytelling.
Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band’s ‘Scorpio’ scores the montage in which the suits are introduced, a wonderful...
- 3/30/2016
- by Gretchen Felker-Martin
- Nerdly
A review of tonight's Better Call Saul coming up just as soon as I'm cashier at the Hinky Dinky... "There's no point in me doing this if I can't be myself." -Jimmy Mike's half-measures speech from the Breaking Bad episode of the same name has hung over a lot of this Saul season, and not just because Mike himself has been suffering no end of headaches over his decision to opt for a half-measure over simply killing Tuco. It's because both Jimmy and Kim have spent much of this season, and "Inflatable" in particular, struggling to pull off half-measures when it comes to their careers and their relationship. Jimmy tried with Davis and Main, sort of. As Kim noted a few episodes back, he never really committed to the job, which we know he only took as an excuse to be near her(*). But he made an effort at times,...
- 3/29/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Remember ten years ago when you would be in HMV looking at a DVD box set of something like The West Wing and then unfolding the twenty pound note in your pocket and wondering whether to part with all that cash for something you had never seen? You had just heard that someone somewhere liked it, but for that £30 you could get two films like Bad Boys 2 and Kill Bill volume 1!
These were difficult times my friends, and more often than not £30 would go down the drain and you would watch three episodes of whatever series it was and decide it wasn’t for you. Well thanks to modern technology and its mission to kill DVD, Blu-Ray and whatever other physical media dinosaur you prefer, this dilemma is a thing of the past.
Nowadays you can go onto Lovefilm, Netflix, BT Vision or whatever else and stream whole seasons of TV for almost nothing.
These were difficult times my friends, and more often than not £30 would go down the drain and you would watch three episodes of whatever series it was and decide it wasn’t for you. Well thanks to modern technology and its mission to kill DVD, Blu-Ray and whatever other physical media dinosaur you prefer, this dilemma is a thing of the past.
Nowadays you can go onto Lovefilm, Netflix, BT Vision or whatever else and stream whole seasons of TV for almost nothing.
- 6/18/2013
- by Chris Holt
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Searching For Sugar Man
Stars: Sixto Rodriguez, Steve Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore | Directed by Malik Bendjelloul
Documentaries are made to inform us, they teach us about things that we don’t know about and look to provide us with an insight into things that the makers think matter. The fact that they are based on real life issues make them all the more poignant, especially if you can relate to them. This is why Searching for Sugar Man may be one of the most inspirational films of 2012.
Searching for Sugar Man looks at the search for the truth behind a singer called Sixto Rodriguez. He had a small career but the music he created shone brightly, more than he’d probably ever realise. There is a legend of exactly how it all started but one of his albums made its way to South Africa which at that time was deep in the Apartheid era.
Stars: Sixto Rodriguez, Steve Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore | Directed by Malik Bendjelloul
Documentaries are made to inform us, they teach us about things that we don’t know about and look to provide us with an insight into things that the makers think matter. The fact that they are based on real life issues make them all the more poignant, especially if you can relate to them. This is why Searching for Sugar Man may be one of the most inspirational films of 2012.
Searching for Sugar Man looks at the search for the truth behind a singer called Sixto Rodriguez. He had a small career but the music he created shone brightly, more than he’d probably ever realise. There is a legend of exactly how it all started but one of his albums made its way to South Africa which at that time was deep in the Apartheid era.
- 12/14/2012
- by Pzomb
- Nerdly
After all the debates, controversies, and stereotype accusations have cleared, looking back on Blaxploitation cinema today it’s easy to see healthy portions of the crime and action genres. Using these genres and the struggles of the black community, these films were created for those that wanted to see African American characters on the big screen not taking shit from the man, “getting over”, and–above all else—being the heroes in movies. In the documentary Baad Asssss Cinema, Samuel L. Jackson gives his take on the heroes of Blaxploitation: “We were tired of seeing the righteous black man. And all of a sudden we had guys who were…us. Or guys who did the things we wanted those guys to do.”
The unsung supporting players in these films that backed Fred Williamson and Pam Grier and many other stars were people acting and making a living off of it.
The unsung supporting players in these films that backed Fred Williamson and Pam Grier and many other stars were people acting and making a living off of it.
- 12/4/2012
- by Gregory Day
- SoundOnSight
Searching for Sugar Man
This documentary film, ostensibly about obscure Michigan-based Mexican-American songwriter Sixto Rodriquez, is just as much about music geeks and the lengths to which they will go when the subject is their favorite artists. Oh, there's plenty about Rodriguez, who under his last name only made a pair of lush folk LPs for the Sussex label, released in 1970 (Cold Fact) and 1971 (Coming from Reality) and then faded from sight.
We're played a fine selection of his songs, and eventually we hear from the man himself, both speaking (though not much) and performing. That said, director Malik Bendjelloul structured the film around some South African superfans' search for their hero. Oddly, this artist who hardly sold any albums in his home country was quite popular in South Africa, something he was unaware of at the time. (Cold Fact in particular was held in high regard there.) The...
This documentary film, ostensibly about obscure Michigan-based Mexican-American songwriter Sixto Rodriquez, is just as much about music geeks and the lengths to which they will go when the subject is their favorite artists. Oh, there's plenty about Rodriguez, who under his last name only made a pair of lush folk LPs for the Sussex label, released in 1970 (Cold Fact) and 1971 (Coming from Reality) and then faded from sight.
We're played a fine selection of his songs, and eventually we hear from the man himself, both speaking (though not much) and performing. That said, director Malik Bendjelloul structured the film around some South African superfans' search for their hero. Oddly, this artist who hardly sold any albums in his home country was quite popular in South Africa, something he was unaware of at the time. (Cold Fact in particular was held in high regard there.) The...
- 8/29/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Chicago – The name Rodriguez alone, although it carries a mysterious cache, isn’t identifiable as any individual. Rodriguez is Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, but when he was a troubadour musician in the 1960s and ‘70s he was simply “Rodriguez.” His extraordinary story is told in the new film “Searching for Sugar Man,” directed by Malik Bendjelloul.
Rodriguez released two notable albums in consecutive years when he first began recording, “Cold Fact” (1970) and “Coming from Reality” (1971). The brilliant tone poems were supersonic dreams from the consciousness of the era. But the albums, and the songs, went nowhere. As with many musicians, Rodriguez faded into obscurity, taking on journeyman jobs in his native Detroit. But half a world away, something amazing was happening. The country of South Africa, so beaten and sorrowful because of apartheid, was embracing the albums and songs of Rodriguez. He became a sensation in the country, and he didn’t even know it.
Rodriguez released two notable albums in consecutive years when he first began recording, “Cold Fact” (1970) and “Coming from Reality” (1971). The brilliant tone poems were supersonic dreams from the consciousness of the era. But the albums, and the songs, went nowhere. As with many musicians, Rodriguez faded into obscurity, taking on journeyman jobs in his native Detroit. But half a world away, something amazing was happening. The country of South Africa, so beaten and sorrowful because of apartheid, was embracing the albums and songs of Rodriguez. He became a sensation in the country, and he didn’t even know it.
- 8/8/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Music history is filled with artists and albums, that for whatever reason, slipped through the cracks of time and history. Great musicians and songs that through no fault of their own, didn't get the recognition at the time they deserved. But everyone once a while, the spotlight shines back on them and for singer/songwriter Rodriguez, his time is now arriving decades later than he ever imagined. Winner of the Audience Award and Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival eariler this year, "Searching For Sugar Man" is a documentary that we called "a hugely entertaining, emotionally touching, and musically revelatory experience." Directed by Malik Bendjelloul, "Searching For Sugar Man" tells a story that begins with the 1970 release of Rodriguez’s debut album, Cold Fact. Celebrated Motor City producers Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore discovered Rodriguez in the late 1960s in a local bar and were struck by his Dylan-esque songwriting.
- 7/23/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Forty years after recording his first album, Sixto Rodriguez, 70, is on the cusp of international stardom
The first thing Sixto Rodriguez asks me to do when I sit down to interview him in a film distributor's office in London is to tell him all about myself. He's eager to know everything: who I am, where I'm from. ("Is that an Irish accent? Erin go bragh!") The Observer's photographer is also required to give a potted history of himself before Rodriguez submits to having his photo taken. He looks the epitome of the veteran rock star – black suit, black-rimmed glasses, black hair down to his shoulders – but he couldn't be more self-effacing or more generous with his attention. As for his own life and career, the subject of a riveting new documentary called Searching for Sugar Man: "Oh," he says, "it's just a typical rags-to-riches story. Better that way than riches-to-rags.
The first thing Sixto Rodriguez asks me to do when I sit down to interview him in a film distributor's office in London is to tell him all about myself. He's eager to know everything: who I am, where I'm from. ("Is that an Irish accent? Erin go bragh!") The Observer's photographer is also required to give a potted history of himself before Rodriguez submits to having his photo taken. He looks the epitome of the veteran rock star – black suit, black-rimmed glasses, black hair down to his shoulders – but he couldn't be more self-effacing or more generous with his attention. As for his own life and career, the subject of a riveting new documentary called Searching for Sugar Man: "Oh," he says, "it's just a typical rags-to-riches story. Better that way than riches-to-rags.
- 7/16/2012
- by Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
1. Pj Harvey: Let England Shake (Vagrant/Island)
A great concept album, a statement about England's proclivity for war and how it has costs both (more or less) countable -- lives, injuries -- and unquantifiable: shattered psyches and tainted national morality. That Harvey is able to do this not in essays but in songs, including some of the best in her long and distinguished career, is an achievement that has eluded many. I wrote about this album at greater length in a review early this year.
2. Dum Dum Girls: Only in Dreams (SubPop)
There are a lot of bands doing the updated '60s girl sound thing, but none more compellingly than this one. Because without good songs, a sound is merely a signifier of taste, an empty vessel. Leader Kristen Gundred Aka Dee Dee writes excellent songs, then plays them with a sonically riveting style.
3. Mimi Goese & Ben Neill:...
A great concept album, a statement about England's proclivity for war and how it has costs both (more or less) countable -- lives, injuries -- and unquantifiable: shattered psyches and tainted national morality. That Harvey is able to do this not in essays but in songs, including some of the best in her long and distinguished career, is an achievement that has eluded many. I wrote about this album at greater length in a review early this year.
2. Dum Dum Girls: Only in Dreams (SubPop)
There are a lot of bands doing the updated '60s girl sound thing, but none more compellingly than this one. Because without good songs, a sound is merely a signifier of taste, an empty vessel. Leader Kristen Gundred Aka Dee Dee writes excellent songs, then plays them with a sonically riveting style.
3. Mimi Goese & Ben Neill:...
- 12/28/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Internationally renowned American artist’s music never caught on at home—but it should’ve
Born in Detroit to Mexican-immigrant parents, Sixto Rodriguez released his debut, Cold Fact, in 1970 and has long since been in the crates of music junkies, often due to the funky guitar of legendary session man Dennis Coffey. Yet Rodriguez has never had an official CD release in the States until now. All but forgotten in America, Rodriguez enjoyed a fervent following in the Southern Hemisphere—places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (where the oft-bootlegged Cold Fact actually went platinum). Sonically similar and as socially conscious as the music of Bob Dylan, Arthur Lee, Marvin Gaye and Donovan, Cold Fact opens with the horn-laced classic “Sugar Man,” about that fraught relationship between junkie and dealer. Rodriguez strums against snapping rhythms on “Inner City Blues” (not the Gaye song), but on “I Wonder” he gets uptight,...
Born in Detroit to Mexican-immigrant parents, Sixto Rodriguez released his debut, Cold Fact, in 1970 and has long since been in the crates of music junkies, often due to the funky guitar of legendary session man Dennis Coffey. Yet Rodriguez has never had an official CD release in the States until now. All but forgotten in America, Rodriguez enjoyed a fervent following in the Southern Hemisphere—places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (where the oft-bootlegged Cold Fact actually went platinum). Sonically similar and as socially conscious as the music of Bob Dylan, Arthur Lee, Marvin Gaye and Donovan, Cold Fact opens with the horn-laced classic “Sugar Man,” about that fraught relationship between junkie and dealer. Rodriguez strums against snapping rhythms on “Inner City Blues” (not the Gaye song), but on “I Wonder” he gets uptight,...
- 2/9/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
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