Clifford Davis (music manager)
Manager of Fleetwood Mac during their early success and later disputes.
Clifford Davis, born Clifford George Adams, worked as a British musician, producer, and music manager. He is best known for his contentious time managing the blues rock group Fleetwood Mac between 1967 and 1974.
He originally went by Cliff Adams when he first worked with Fleetwood Mac around 1967, but changed his surname to Davis in 1969 to avoid confusion with the Cliff Adams Singers. For songwriting credits, he kept using the name C. G. Adams, including on the 1968 album *Mr. Wonderful*, where he shared credits with band founder Peter Green for legal or copyright reasons.
Before managing Fleetwood Mac, Davis (as Cliff Adams) worked for Beatles manager Brian Epstein. He then took over the Gunnell Brothers Agency in London in 1967, which handled all of Fleetwood Mac’s bookings. Shortly after he arrived, Peter Green came in unhappy with how the agency was promoting the band and their new single "Black Magic Woman." Davis met the band, found them "stunning," and did everything he could to help. Green, also a tough East End Cockney, liked Davis’s enthusiasm and asked him to become their manager.
During his management, Fleetwood Mac found early success in the late 1960s. The band faced turmoil: Peter Green left in 1970 due to drug use and mental illness; guitarist Jeremy Spencer quit suddenly in February 1971, forcing concert cancellations; Danny Kirwan was fired mid-tour in August 1972; and his replacement Bob Weston was sacked during a tour the following year after an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife, leading to the tour’s abandonment.
Davis also managed the band Curved Air. His time with Fleetwood Mac ended in 1974 after he promoted a different group under the Fleetwood Mac name. The original band had canceled or disrupted several tours, and after an aborted tour in late 1973, Davis had touring commitments in the US. He recruited other musicians, including former Curved Air members, to tour as a replacement Fleetwood Mac in early 1974. Davis later said he had Mick Fleetwood’s approval and that other band members knew. He also claimed he owned the group’s name, creating bad blood. The real Fleetwood Mac sued him, and the case lasted four years before being settled out of court, described as "a reasonable settlement not unfair to either party."
Davis tried his own recording career in 1969 with help from Green and Fleetwood Mac.
- Born
- Clifford George Adams
- Field
- Music manager, producer, musician
- Nationality
- British
- Known for
- Controversial tenure as manager of Fleetwood Mac (1967–1974)
Lore & Background
Clifford Davis began his career as Cliff Adams, working for Beatles manager Brian Epstein before being brought in to run the Gunnell Brothers Agency in London in 1967. There he met Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green, who was dissatisfied with the agency's promotion of the band. Impressed by Davis's enthusiasm, Green asked him to become their manager. Davis later changed his surname to Davis to avoid confusion with The Cliff Adams Singers, but continued to use C. G. Adams for songwriting credits.
During his tenure as Fleetwood Mac's manager, the band achieved its first period of success in the late 1960s. However, the band faced turmoil: Peter Green left in 1970 due to drug use and mental illness; guitarist Jeremy Spencer quit without notice in February 1971; Danny Kirwan was sacked mid-tour in August 1972; and Bob Weston was fired in 1973 after an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, causing a tour to be abandoned. In 1974, after the original band fell apart, Davis promoted a different band under the name Fleetwood Mac to fulfill US touring commitments, claiming he had Mick Fleetwood's approval and that he owned the group's name. This led to a four-year legal dispute, settled amicably out of court.
Davis also managed Curved Air and later managed Danny Kirwan, producing his latter two solo albums. He managed Peter Green during the early part of his solo career. In late 1975 and early 1976, he managed the band Slack Alice, but the relationship ended when Davis sued Phonogram Records over single selection, causing the band to implode.
Reader's Guide
Clifford Davis's significance lies in his role as the manager of Fleetwood Mac during their formative years of success, and in the controversial events that followed the band's disintegration. His decision to send a replacement band on tour under the Fleetwood Mac name in 1974 sparked a protracted legal battle over the ownership of the group's name, a dispute that was eventually settled out of court. This episode highlights the tensions between managers and artists in the music industry, particularly regarding control and branding. Davis's management of other acts, such as Curved Air and Danny Kirwan, and his brief recording career, further illustrate his involvement in the British music scene of the late 1960s and 1970s. His legacy is marked by both his early support of Fleetwood Mac and the lasting ill-feeling caused by his actions after the band's collapse.
Did You Know?
- He worked for Beatles manager Brian Epstein before managing Fleetwood Mac.
- His first single, 'Before the Beginning' / 'Man of the World', was a coupling of two reworked Fleetwood Mac songs written by Peter Green.
- He sued Phonogram Records over single selection for the band Slack Alice, causing the band to implode.
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