Clive Davis Picks Five Favorite Duets From 50 Years of His Pre-Grammy Gala

For a half century, the hottest ticket in the music industry has been Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala, staged in partnership with the Recording Academy, that takes place the night before the Grammys. From Beyonce to Barbra, from Jane Fonda to Jay-Z to Nancy Pelosi, the show has a completely unique guest list and roster of performers that reflect both the past year and the past several decades of popular music.

Every year’s show is unique, but the 2025 edition will be even more so: Not only is it the party’s 50th anniversary, it has been reimagined as a benefit for recovery from the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles this month.

“It’s going to be a wonderful, incredible night of music, with fundraising for the right cause,” Davis, 92, tells Variety. “The music is what has made this such a unique night over the past 50 years, and there’s never been a strict formula. It’s not only about the best of every genre of music — Grammy nominees or not — but about putting together artists that have never, ever performed together.”

Trying to select the five best of those unique duets is an impossible task, but Davis selected five of his favorites for us — and then added some more.

Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys “Think” 2003

“Two or three years after Alicia Keys blazed her way into superstardom, she and I were having a chat. I said, ‘You’ve gone multiplatinum all over the world. You’ve won a substantial number of Grammys. What’s your next biggest dream?’ She thought for a minute and said, ‘You know what it would be? I would love to do a duet with Aretha Franklin at your party.’” The pair performed Aretha’s 1968 hit “Think,” which then went into an all-star medley based around her 1967 song “Chain of Fools,” also including Justin Timberlake, Carly Simon, Angie Stone and Gavin DeGraw.

Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole, “This Will Be” 2000

“Another of the many spectacular duets I recall was Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole doing a wonderful set of improvised jazz riffs during [Cole’s 1975 hit] ‘This Will Be.’ It was a brilliant performance and memorable in every way.”

Rod Stewart, Lou Reed and Slash, “Having a Party” 2003

“When Rod Stewart was enjoying the success of his “Great American Songbook’ [series], which sold 26 million copies over five albums worldwide, I asked him to perform at my Grammy party. He said, ‘You know, let’s do something different. Rather than singing [his current hit single], ‘You Go to My Head,’ I would like to sing [Sam Cooke’s classic] ‘Having a Party.’ But you’ll never guess who I would like to do it with: Lou Reed — and Slash.’ I set it up, and that is another indelible memory.”

Cyndi Lauper and Brandi Carlile, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” 2020 

“This was another electrifying duet. Cyndi leapt into the crowd and onto a table, exciting the audience as she jumped from table to table and led the way for Brandi, who joined her as well.”

Carlos Santana with Rob Thomas, Wyclef and Product G&B, “Smooth” and “Maria Maria” 1999

“There’s only one time that I used the occasion to showcase a legendary performer in new light — I’m talking about Carlos Santana. When I was putting together [Santana’s smash 1999 album “Supernatural’], I knew there was great skepticism, even within [Davis’ label] itself, that a virtuoso guitarist who doesn’t sing could, after not being on the charts for 25 years, come back in a spectacular way. I knew that in some quarters the album was called ‘Davis’s Folly,’ and that [people said] I was full of nostalgia because Carlos was an artist that I had signed when I was head of Columbia Records in 1969, and here it was 30 years later. But [A&R exec] Pete Ganbarg and I put together ‘Smooth,’ which I think now is the second-biggest single of all time, and ‘Maria, Maria,’ which nobody had heard yet. They came on: Carlos with Rob doing ‘Smooth,’ and Carlos with Wyclef and Product G&B doing ‘Maria Maria’ — and the place went nuts. The word-of-mouth about how they electrified the stage at my Grammy party was all over the place, both records went on to become big hits, and the album won the eight Grammys. That’s the only time I indulged my instinct, if you will.”

Of course, he doesn’t stop at five. “I can think of so many!,” he continues. “There was the year we held it at the House of Blues [1995] and I only had female performances. That night, Carly Simon, Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, June Pointer, Toni Braxton and Natalie Cole all combined to do [Simon’s 1971 hit] ‘You’re So Vain.’

“And there was Gladys Knight and Jennifer Hudson singing ‘Heard It Through the Grapevine’; or Harry Connick and Carrie Underwood singing ‘When Somebody Loves You’; or the Black Eyed Peas with Slash doing ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’; or Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Miguel and JC Chasez singing ‘My Girl’; and last year, Mark Ronson and Lainey Wilson getting together for [the song from ‘Barbie’] ‘I’m Just Ken.’ Year after year, there are indelible, fantastic memories that you just don’t forget.”