The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 to Honor Legendary Music Executive Clive Davis with the Order of the Golden Sphinx Award

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Jan 21, 2015, 11:00 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 announces that legendary Music Producer Clive Davis will be the 2015 recipient of the Order of the Golden Sphinx award. Mr. Davis will be honored and presented with the prestigious award at the annual Order of the Golden Sphinx Gala to be held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on April 13, 2015.

The Order of the Golden Sphinx, named for a traditional symbol of The Hasty Pudding Institute, is the highest honor bestowed by the Institute and recognizes individuals in the entertainment industry for their extraordinary contributions to the performing arts. The recipient represents the Institute's mission to support and foster the performing arts within its membership, at Harvard, and the community at large. Previous recipients of the Order of the Golden Sphinx award include Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc., and David Heyman, founder of Heyday Films and producer of "Gravity."

"We are particularly proud and excited to honor Clive Davis this year," said Andrew Farkas, Chairman and Grand Sphinx of the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770. "Music has always been an integral part of the Hasty Pudding traditions, from the musical comedies produced by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, to the vocal performances of the Harvard Krokodiloes, so it was time we turned to the music industry to select our next Order of the Golden Sphinx recipient. Clive's tremendous achievements in discovering and fostering new musical talent embodies the passion of those individuals upon whom we proudly bestow our highest honor."

"It's a true thrill to be honored by the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770. I know originality and wit will be present in abundance on April 13th and I'm going into training to be a congenial subject," said Clive Davis. "This American institution is so very special and for this "kid from Brooklyn," to be its honoree is personally very moving and touching."

Clive Davis, award-winning record producer and renowned music business executive, is currently the Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment. He has won five GRAMMYS and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. He has been closely involved with a large list of landmark artists through his tenures at Columbia, Arista and J Records. From early signings with Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Aerosmith, Billy Joel and Earth, Wind & Fire, to Patti Smith, Barry Manilow, Santana, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and many others, Davis has had a profound impact on popular culture. Davis' autobiography "The Soundtrack Of My Life," published by Simon & Schuster in 2013, became a New York Times bestseller. The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU is continuing to extend his legacy and looking to the future of the music business.

The Order of the Golden Sphinx gala enfolds as a dinner with special performances by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and Harvard Krokodiloes undergraduates and alumni, produced by Amanda Lipitz Productions and written and composed by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde: The Musical, The Explorers Club) and Larry O'Keefe (Legally Blonde: The Musical, Heathers: The Musical), both alumni of the Pudding.

ABOUT THE HASTY PUDDING INSTITUTE OF 1770
The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770's philanthropic mission is to provide educational and developmental support in all aspects of the performing arts for the underprivileged, to encourage satire and comedy, and to cultivate young talent around the world. The Institute is comprised of The Hasty Pudding Club (the oldest social club in the United States), The Hasty Pudding Theatricals (the third oldest theater group in the world, after the Comedie Francaise and the Oberammergau Passion Players) and the Harvard Krokodiloes (the foremost collegiate a cappella group in the United States). Over the last two centuries, it has grown into a premiere performing arts organization, a patron of the arts and comedy, and an advocate for satire and discourse as tools for change worldwide.

For more information about the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770, please visit:
http://www.hastypudding.org
https://www.facebook.com/HastyPudding
https://twitter.com/HastyPuddin1770
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHastypudding

Contact:
(Hasty Pudding PR) Mike Geller / Edelman / 212.729.2163 / [email protected]
(Clive Davis PR) Aliza Rabinoff / DKC / [email protected]

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SOURCE The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770