Clifford Davis (music manager)

For the British rock drummer, see Cliff Davies (musician).

Clifford Davis is a British musician and music manager, chiefly known for his time as manager of successful blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, from 1967 to 1974.

He also used the pseudonyms Clifford Adams and C.G. Adams, particularly in songwriting credits, such as those he shared with band founder Peter Green for legal or copyright reasons on the 1968 album Mr Wonderful.

Career

Recording artist

During 1969, Davis embarked on a recording career of his own with the help of Green and Fleetwood Mac. His first single, "Before the Beginning" / "Man of the World", was a coupling of two reworked Fleetwood Mac songs written by Green. His second and final recording, "Come On Down and Follow Me" / "Homework", followed in 1970; neither single was commercially successful.

Tenure as Fleetwood Mac manager

Having also managed Curved Air, his tenure as Fleetwood Mac's band manager came to an end during 1974 when he started promoting a different band under the name of Fleetwood Mac, after the original band had been forced to cancel or disrupt a number of tours. The band's leader Peter Green left in 1970 after a bout with drug use and mental illness. In February 1971, guitarist Jeremy Spencer quit the group without prior notice causing concerts to be cancelled and another guitarist, Danny Kirwan, was sacked in the middle of a tour in August 1972. Kirwan's replacement, Bob Weston, was fired during a tour the following year after having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, after which the tour was abandoned. Davis recruited several new musicians including ex-members of Curved Air to masquerade as Fleetwood Mac and complete the tour, claiming that he owned the group's name. The remaining members of the real Fleetwood Mac brought legal proceedings against Davis, and the subsequent court case lasted several months. Davis eventually lost the case, which caused considerable ill-feeling between him and the band.

After Fleetwood Mac

Davis later managed the career of ex-Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan, making use of some of the musicians who formed the fake Fleetwood Mac. He also continued to act as manager for Peter Green during the early part of his solo career.

References

• "Fleetwood Mac: Behind the Masks", Bob Brunning, Hodder & Stoughton, 1990.
• "My 25 Years in Fleetwood Mac", Mick Fleetwood, Hyperion, 1992.