He Missed the NBA and Built a Music Empire | Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

About this episode

Harvey Mason Jr. shares his journey from aspiring NBA player to Grammy CEO and music producer, highlighting the pivotal moments and people who shaped his career.

Before Harvey Mason Jr. became the CEO of the Recording Academy and a legendary music producer who worked with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson, he was a college basketball player at the University of Arizona headed to the NBA. Then a torn ACL ended his career in one awkward landing, leaving him watching soap operas in a dorm room, depressed and driving around Tucson pitching jingles to Chinese buffets and brake shops. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the Grammy executive sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in him when he was still figuring out who he was: Clive Davis, the legendary music mogul who put him in a room with Aretha Franklin and changed everything. Harvey opens up about the day he walked into Clive's bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, nervous and blown away by the flowers and the speakers and the man who had signed his father as an artist decades earlier. He talks about playing I Like Them Girls for Clive, watching him close his eyes and nod his head, and getting the yes that gave him a confidence boost he didn't know he needed. He shares what it was like to produce Aretha's vocals, pushing…

People in this episode

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Harvey Mason Jr.

Topics covered

• music industry
• personal journey
• basketball
• production
• inspiration

Keywords

• Harvey Mason Jr.
• Clive Davis
• Aretha Franklin
• Whitney Houston
• music production
• NBA
• personal story

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Recording Academy

Places: University of Arizona, Tucson, Beverly Hills Hotel

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