The Don is Dead
Don Kirshner, Shaper of Hit Records, Dies at 76Although those born after 1975 will largely remember Kirshner for his tacky South Florida attire and nasal speech, Don Kirshner to many was an icon that helped shape the industry with his Rock Show. Unlike Bandstand and other similar shows Don insisted that his acts play live and sought out only acts that could live up to their recordings. He cared deeply about both the acts and the that his audience got a superior performance,
A true music lover has passed and I for one will mourn.
6 responses to “The Don is Dead”
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Moses/Bob: Donny Kirshner was a “GOOD GUY” As an Agent who always fought the system against the Agency “GIANTS” of our business Donny’s door was always open to guys like me. Because I concentrated on building new acts it took a true “VISIONARY” like Donny to think ahead of the curve. He was always helping the little guy and had great “ears” R.I.P. my brother, I’ll miss you, and the Music Business will miss you.
–Jerry Heller.
Mo,
When I read this I was a little sad. So many great songs.
Guy was a true dichotomy though. Made his fortune pushing pre-fab acts who
couldn’t play/ wouldn’t let anyone lip sync on his concert show.
He did invent the Boy Band too–the Monkees.
In all, he’s a guy who followed the #1 rule to a t: It’s the song, stupid–
nothing else matters!
Chuck Griffiths
Hey Moses,
Thanks for sharing this news, and for your sentimental take on Kirshner.
I say that, because I’ve always imagined that he must have known what he was doing, and really impacted popular music in the 60s and 70s, but … as a Monkees fan, there’s such a humorous pile of stories and interviews that make him seem like a completely self-important prick.
. . . and that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a genius of sorts – it just means he was probably not unlike the infamous Phil Spector 🙂
Anyhow – he sure knew hit records when he heard them, and was probably LESS of a prick than Dick Clark in the grand scheme of rock’n’roll history.
I appreciated your remarks.
Have a great day, and keep fighting the good fight!
–Larry/The Jellybricks
Hey Mo-
I had the good fortune of performing on his show as a drummer with several different artists.
Chris Hillman (Byrds), Rob Grill (Grassroots), and Walter Egan (Magnet & Steel).
A very soulful, and soft-spoken man (at least backstage). Not at all like the rather stiff announcer that he came across as on TV.
He discovered and nurtured many acts through-out his career and was really a great ‘old school’ A&R guy.
Not any of those left in todays business . . .
Best,
Michael Huey
I remember Don. He was a great man in the industry.
When I was doing singing Rock with various artists i.e. Marc Boland etc…I would perform on his show.
Thanks for letting us know.
Blessings,
Stephanie Spruill
Thank you for your very kind thoughts. He truly was ONE special music lover. A
Arnie Wohl
Wohl 2 Wohl Productions Inc.