New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Recognized for their dynamic leadership and revolutionary creativity, Atlantic
Music Group Chairman and CEO
Julie Greenwald and Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO
Craig Kallman, are the 2023 GRAMMY Salute To
Industry Icons honorees. The Recording Academy and Clive Davis will celebrate Greenwald and Kallman's accomplishments at the Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Sat, Feb. 4, 2023. The illustrious event preceding the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards is returning for the first time since 2020.
"Respected across the music community,
Julie and
Craig have fostered the careers of an incredible range of talent," said
Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "They both have a passion and love for music, and they are constantly pushing the music industry forward with their transformative work with the artist community. We are so honored to celebrate these two industry titans at this year's Pre-GRAMMY Gala."
"I've personally known
Julie and
Craig for many years and it's so very exciting to celebrate their exceptional creativity and achievements at this year's Pre-GRAMMY Gala," said Davis. "What a special night it will be spotlighting them and their incredible music and artists! They both fully deserve an unforgettable evening."
In 2023, Atlantic Records will celebrate its 75th anniversary, and Greenwald and Kallman can look back on two decades of industry-leading accomplishments. The duo has presided over a new golden age in the history of one of the world's most iconic labels. Under their watch, Atlantic Records has regularly ranked as the top company in the industry. The combination of Greenwald's artist-focused marketing and culture-building savvy with Kallman's deep musical knowledge and A&R and producing expertise has driven Atlantic to success after success.
The recently formed Atlantic
Music Group, which includes the Atlantic and 300 Elektra label families, garnered nearly 40 GRAMMY® nominations this year. This achievement exemplifies the company's genre-defiant focus on long-term artist development. Today, the Atlantic roster boasts superstars such as Bruno Mars, Burna Boy, Cardi B,
Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Jack Harlow, Lil Uzi Vert, Lizzo, Janelle Monáe, Paramore, Charlie Puth, Roddy Ricch, Ed Sheeran, and dozens more. Atlantic has also taken a leading position in both the Broadway cast recording and soundtrack arenas, including such chart-topping successes as the GRAMMY-winning Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman, as well as the Fast & Furious film franchise.
Greenwald and Kallman first joined forces in 2004, when
Julie moved to Atlantic from her leadership post at Island Def Jam. The duo rearchitected the company from the ground up, reaching industry-beating status through the reinvention of the label as a game-changing, music-driven company with a passionate devotion to artist incubation and evolution. An innovator embracing new technology, Atlantic became the first label to earn more than half of its total music sales from digital releases. In the early years of their collaboration, the duo advanced the careers of numerous top-selling artists, including
James Blunt, Death Cab for Cutie, Flo Rida, Gnarls Barkley, Kid Rock, Lupe Fiasco, Jason Mraz, Sean Paul, Shinedown, Staind, Rob Thomas, T.I., Trey Songz, Zac Brown Band, and many others.
In 2010, just six years into their joint tenure, Rolling Stone enthused that Greenwald and Kallman had "retooled Atlantic as a model for how a major label can thrive in the 21st century… betting that long-term artist development will pay off." Since then, Atlantic has become a nurturing ground for some of the industry's most original and game-changing artists, many of whom have been built from the ground up by the company's system of expert A&R, marketing swat teams and custom-targeted strategies.
Greenwald and Kallman join a prominent list of previous Pre-GRAMMY Gala honorees, including Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss, Clarence Avant, Irving Azoff,
Martin Bandier, Sir Richard Branson, Sean "
Diddy" Combs, Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter, Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun,
David Geffen, Berry Gordy, Sir Lucian Grainge, Debra L. Lee, Doug Morris, Mo Ostin, Antonio "L.A." Reid, and Rob Stringer.
For the past decade, the invitation-only Pre-GRAMMY Gala has included a presentation to honor industry luminaries through the Recording Academy's GRAMMY Salute To
Industry Icons award. Sponsored by Hilton, IBM, JBL, and Mastercard, the night has become one of the music industry's most distinguished events as it convenes music's most innovative and influential creators and professionals.
Clive Davis began his career at Columbia Records where he was appointed president in 1967 and signed such legendary rock artists as Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Janis Joplin, Santana, and Bruce Springsteen. In 1974, Davis co-founded Arista Records where he signed Whitney Houston,
Barry Manilow and Patti Smith. and further developed the careers of Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead, the Kinks, and Dionne Warwick. His business ventures include forming LaFace Records in 1989 with
Babyface and L.A. Reid, and creating Bad Boy Records in 1994 with Sean "
Diddy" Combs. In 2000, J Records was born (in partnership with BMG) and emerged as a dominant force, producing the works of
Alicia Keys and Maroon 5. Davis was then appointed chairman/CEO of BMG U.S. Label Group where he oversaw an expanded RCA
Music Group, including J Records, RCA Records and Arista Records. After BMG and Sony
Music merged, in 2008 Davis was appointed chief creative officer, Sony
Music Worldwide, where he continues to nurture and develop talent. In 2000, Davis received the Trustees Award from the Recording Academy and was recognized with the President's Merit Award at the 2009 GRAMMY Salute To
Industry Icons. As a humanitarian, Davis has made tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS, spearheading donations of millions of dollars for AIDS research. In 2002, the Clive Davis
Institute of Recorded
Music was created at his undergraduate alma mater, New York University. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School. His autobiography The
Soundtrack Of My Life, published in 2013, has become the largest-selling book involving music in history and a New York Times bestseller. The Ridley Scott firm produced, and Chris Perkel directed, a documentary film on his life: Clive Davis: The
Soundtrack Of Our Lives, which Apple TV, Apple
Music and iTunes launched worldwide in 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes. The documentary has earned awards and accolades worldwide and made its premiere on Netflix in
September 2019. In 2021, Paramount+ debuted "CLIVE DAVIS: MOST ICONIC PERFORMANCES," a four-episode concert music series in which Davis takes viewers through some of his favorite musical performances from the last few decades and includes interview excerpts from his acclaimed 2021 Pre-Grammy Gala virtual events. In August 2021, Mr. Davis co-executive produced the historic "We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert" with the City of New York and Live Nation, which was a monumental globally televised music event. In November 2022, Davis was also one of seven honorees of the
National Portrait Gallery's Portrait of a Nation awards, and his portrait was painted by
David Hockney.
