Clarence Avant speaks during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Avant was inducted for the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
As has been declared on many occasions in this column, you don’t have to wait a century or so to profile a distinguished Black American, although in this case, we can hardly claim Avant is unknown and unheralded. In fact, quite the contrary: He rose from being a “roadie” for Little Willie John to the helm of Motown Records.
These successes set the stage for Avant to start his own record company, Sussex. The recent death of singer Rodriguez, who recorded for the company, reminded us of the less-than-successful venture. Avant’s musical passion and ambitions morphed into the quest to own a radio station. That became a reality by 1973 when he bought KAGB-FM, although it, like Sussex, closed within two years.