Just like how behind every great man is a great woman, behind every great musician there is a great businessman. In short, that’s what I gathered from the new Netflix documentary about Clarence Avant called The Black Godfather. The film is produced by his daughter, Nicole Avant, and makes the viewer feel guilty for not knowing about Clarence sooner. After all, without him, there would have been no Bill Withers, no “Lean on Me”.
Netflix released an informative press release that outlines the movie:
“The Black Godfather charts the exceptional and unlikely rise of Avant, a music executive whose trailblazing behind-the-scenes accomplishments impacted the legacies of icons such as as Bill Withers, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, and Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Driven by a sense of equality, loyalty, and justice, Avant left the Jim Crow south behind to emerge as a powerhouse negotiator at a time when deep-seated racism penetrated every corner of America. Avant defied notions of what a black executive could do, redefining the industry for entertainers and executives of color, and leaving a legacy of altruism for others to emulate.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Reginald Hudlin and featuring interviews with Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Lionel Richie, Suzanne de Passe, David Geffen, Jerry Moss, Cicely Tyson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Jamie Foxx, among others, The Black Godfather pulls the curtain back on the maestro himself, projecting a spotlight on the man who’s spent his entire career ensuring that it shined on others.”
Avant was a skilled negotiator, whose constant pursuit of a favorable bottom line allowed many black musicians to receive deals as fair as the ones their white counterparts accepted. Although the mindset that “it’s all about the numbers” benefited Avantin negotiations, the director Reginald Hudlin made sure to highlight the human side of him, the one that frequently held charity events or made deals for free.
Great movie, highly recommend for any music fans looking to learn about one of a behind-the-scenes legend.