Legendary promoter Kirshner dies
Source: Agencies |
January 20, 2011, Thursday
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DON Kirshner, a rock promoter and music publisher who helped garner hits for the make-believe groups The Monkees and The Archies and boosted the careers of Billy Joel, Neil Diamond and the Police, has died. He was 76.
Promoter Jack Wishna, a close friend and business associate, said on Tuesday that Kirshner, whom Time magazine once dubbed "The Man with the Golden Ear," was in a hospital in Boca Raton, Florida, being treated for an infection when he died on Monday.
"Donny Kirshner would take a kid off the street ... and turn him into Neil Diamond, Carole King, James Taylor, on and on," Wishna said. "I haven't spoken to anyone in the music business that Donny hasn't either discovered, promoted, or touched in some way.
The New York-born Kirshner started off in the business as a songwriter, penning "My First Love" for Bobby Darin. But he had more success in tapping songwriting talents like Diamond, King and Neil Sedaka.
Kirshner's songwriters were tapped in the 1960s to create music for a group manufactured for TV - The Monkees. They became a huge sensation in both the TV and the pop music world and had hits -including "I'm a Believer," which Diamond wrote.
"I'm saddened to learn of the loss of Don Kirshner. He was the king of Tin Pan Alley - there never was a better song -plugger," -Diamond said. "I'll always be grateful to him for pairing 'I'm a Believer' and other songs of mine with the Monkees."
Kirshner also was behind the music that made magic for The Archies, based off the comic strip characters, including the classic song "Sugar Sugar."
Howard Kramer, curatorial director at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said Kirshner will be remembered for "nurturing and -developing an early, unprecedented amount of artists, mostly -songwriters, and also a television pioneer for bringing live rock 'n' roll to television."
Kirshner also ran three labels, Dimension Records, Colgems Records and Kirshner Records.
Before he died, Kirshner was chief creative officer of Rockrena, a company launching this year to find and promote talent online.
Promoter Jack Wishna, a close friend and business associate, said on Tuesday that Kirshner, whom Time magazine once dubbed "The Man with the Golden Ear," was in a hospital in Boca Raton, Florida, being treated for an infection when he died on Monday.
"Donny Kirshner would take a kid off the street ... and turn him into Neil Diamond, Carole King, James Taylor, on and on," Wishna said. "I haven't spoken to anyone in the music business that Donny hasn't either discovered, promoted, or touched in some way.
The New York-born Kirshner started off in the business as a songwriter, penning "My First Love" for Bobby Darin. But he had more success in tapping songwriting talents like Diamond, King and Neil Sedaka.
Kirshner's songwriters were tapped in the 1960s to create music for a group manufactured for TV - The Monkees. They became a huge sensation in both the TV and the pop music world and had hits -including "I'm a Believer," which Diamond wrote.
"I'm saddened to learn of the loss of Don Kirshner. He was the king of Tin Pan Alley - there never was a better song -plugger," -Diamond said. "I'll always be grateful to him for pairing 'I'm a Believer' and other songs of mine with the Monkees."
Kirshner also was behind the music that made magic for The Archies, based off the comic strip characters, including the classic song "Sugar Sugar."
Howard Kramer, curatorial director at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said Kirshner will be remembered for "nurturing and -developing an early, unprecedented amount of artists, mostly -songwriters, and also a television pioneer for bringing live rock 'n' roll to television."
Kirshner also ran three labels, Dimension Records, Colgems Records and Kirshner Records.
Before he died, Kirshner was chief creative officer of Rockrena, a company launching this year to find and promote talent online.
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