Clarence Avant Net Worth

How much is Clarence Avant worth?

Net Worth:$30 Million
Profession:Professional Music Executive
Date of Birth:February 25, 1931 (age 91)
Country:United States of America
Height:
5 ft 6 in (1.7 m)

About Clarence Avant

Clarence Avant is an American entrepreneur, film producer, and music executive. He began his career in the early 1960s and since then has been dubbed the “Godfather of Black Music” or “The Black Godfather”. He spent half the century in the music business and even now, continues to stay in the spotlight. He first began his career as a nightclub manager, working with the likes of Jimmy Smith and Lalo Schriften.

Towards the new millennium, he found two record labels and helped artists such as Bill Withers, Jimmy Jam, Sixto Rodriguez, and Terry Lewis turn into international stars. In addition to becoming the chairman of Motown Records, he became the very first African-American to be a board member at PolyGram. He’s known for taking stands in the defense of black culture, being a consultant to ABC and MGM, and for launching one of the first black-owned radio stations.

American music executive, entrepreneur and film producer Clarence Avant “The Black Godfather” has an estimated net worth of $30 million dollars, as of 2023.

Clarence Avant is famous for his business skills and his contribution to the music industry. He was born on February 25, 1931, in Greensboro, North Carolina. As the oldest of eight children, he spent most of his pre-adolescent years in Greensboro attending the Dudley High School.

In 1947, when he was a teenager, Avant moved to New Jersey where he began work as a stock clerk. In 1950, he began interested in joining the music industry and he began managing Teddy P’S Lounge, which is based in Newark, New Jersey, and owned by Teddy Powell.

Throughout the 1950s, he continued to meet new and already established names in the brand. At the time, he was mentored by the successful manager Joseph Glaser, who helped establish Louis Armstrong as one of the premier singers of the century. Thanks to his exciting resume and work as a manager, Clarence landed deals with many aspiring and rising stars in the R&B such as Little Willie John. He also managed many jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughan, Wynton Kelly, Kim Weston, Luiz Bonfa, and Freddie Hubbard.

The manager and music executive became rich in the late years of the millennium. He incorporated his own company Avant-Garde Enterprise in November 1962, which helped him earn the base of his net worth.

In addition to managing various artists and focusing on his own company, at the peak of his career, Clarence Avant served as a board member, adviser, and even executive of various radio companies such as NARA (National Association of Radio Announce) and NATRA (National Association of Television and Radio Announce). Working as both board member and executive of these companies further helped him add to his income.

Perhaps the thing that boosted not only his popularity but wealth was the contract with MGM Records in the 1970s. This deal alone, which is about Venture Records becoming an outlet of MGM, was finalized for $4.5 million and Avant himself received ten percent of the debentures. Around the same time, he also became an associate producer of the stage play The Reckoning, which was created by Douglas Turner Ward.

Besides his contribution to the music industry, Clarence is also highly-praised for his work as an activist and supporter of various charities and organizations. In late 1973, he served as the executive producer of the Paramount Pictures documentary Save the Children. The documentary focuses on the Operation PUSH explosion in Chicago and it includes many singers. Besides this, he also produced the likes of Deliver Us from Evil, Heart and Soul, and Living Large.

The reason why this entrepreneur is so successful is because of his successful work as a businessman. In the 1970s, he founded his record Sussex Records, which wasn’t as successful as his previous. Two years later, he founded Under Avant-Garde Broadcasting. By buying his own FM radio, Avant also became the first African-American to own a radio station in metropolitan Los Angeles.

Summing-Up

Clarence Avant is known for helping a huge amount of artists in all genres to both reach the stardom and become global superstars. He left his mark in the music industry with his personal and business connections. Among some of the names that he’s considered a mentor to are Barack Obama, Puff Diddy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Quincy Jones.

Avant has also earned a lot of awards and achievements. His biggest achievement is receiving his own Hollywood Hall of Fame which was done in October 2016. Most recently, the streaming platform Netflix released a documentary about him titled The Black Godfather.

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