He created Arista Records in 1974 after being forced to leave Columbia. Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, and Patti Smith all launched their careers at Arista with the help of Davis. Comfortable in a variety of genres, Davis also had an impact on the country music scene with Arista beginning in the late 80s, and in early 90s launched the hip hop label Bad Boy Records with Sean “Puffy” Combs. In the last decade and a half Davis has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and launched another label called J Records which includes artists like Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, and Maroon 5. Now Davis has put out a book called The Soundtrack of My Life which provides a closer look at his career. He shares some of the highlights from it - his favorite stories about the artists he has worked with. Plus he reveals what he listens for in a song when trying to find a hit.