The Black Godfather

THE BLACK GODFATHER chronicles the life and career of music industry legend Clarence Avant and the countless Black artists, activists, and politicians he helped over the years. It shows how Avant got his start working in the New Jersey jazz clubs, and how that led to his mentorship under Joe Glaser, the legendary manager of Louis Armstrong. Avant also helped fulfill Lalo Schifrin's (at the time the pianist in Dizzy Gillespie's band) dream of working in Hollywood composing film scores. Avant's representation of Schifrin, at a time when a Black man representing a White performer was unheard of, led to further success, and the start of Avant's reputation as a "mover and shaker" and someone a Black performer could turn to when negotiating contracts with a music industry notorious for ripping off Black artists for decades. The documentary shows how the label Avant launched, Sussex Records, found an international audience for the music of Bill Withers, one-hit wonders, and a now-legendary artist who remained obscure for four decades named Rodriguez. Throughout this time, Avant helped Black politicians get elected, and worked to get a lucrative Coca-Cola sponsorship deal for Hank Aaron as he was breaking Babe Ruth's homerun record. When his record label and radio station went bankrupt, Avant's career was resurrected by friends and music industry associates, and Avant went on to further the careers of countless musical artists, work on Michael Jackson's "Bad" tour, advise President Bill Clinton at the height of his impeachment trial, and demand that John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign give a prime-time slot during the Democratic National Convention for a speech given by a somewhat obscure Illinois state senator named Barack Obama.