ABC/Craig SjodinPharrell Williams paid tribute Monday night in Hollywood to the man who opened the door for his success.
The 13-time Grammy winner brought a full choir on stage at Avalon Hollywood to perform the song “Letter to My Godfather,” which he wrote for the Netflix film The Black Godfather, about famed music executive Clarence Avant.
“The people who gave me my opportunities were people that he walked into the game,” Williams said in in a Q&A following his performance, according to Billboard. “You know, Teddy Riley, Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs. These were like, and still are, giants in our industry.”
Avant, who founded Tabu Records, is considered one of the most influential African-American music executives ever. His artists included Alexander O’Neal, Cherrelle, and the SOS Band. Avant also launched Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ prolific producing careers.
Jam and Lewis, along with Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Babyface and Combs are among the stars paying homage to Avant in The Black Godfather, as well as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Avant began his music career in the 1950s and has been an invaluable adviser and deal maker for numerous artists.
“He was going into a business that was predominantly white, male, and not necessarily peppered with diversity,” Williams says, “So you had this African-American man, this man with all this melanin…walking into these buildings and equalizing things.”
Pharrell was honored for “Letter to My Godfather” with the Hollywood Song Award Sunday night at the Hollywood Film Awards in L.A.
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