Don Kirshner
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Don Kirshner (born April 17, 1934), known as The Man With the Golden Ear, is an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups such as The Monkees and The Archies.
Kirshner achieved his first major success in the late 1950s and early 1960s as co-owner of the influential New York-based publishing company Aldon Music, which had under contract at various times several of the most important songwriters of the so-called "Brill Building" school, including Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield.
As a producer-promoter, Kirshner was influential in starting off the career of singers and songwriters including Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, Carole King, and Sarah Dash of Labelle, as well as discovering the occasional rock act such as Kansas.
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[edit] Don Kirshner's record labels
Kirshner also had three record labels. The first was Chairman Records (a subsidiary of London). Although he was responsible for scores of hits in the 60s, he was only able to have one on the Chairman label, 1963's "Martian Hop" by The Ran-Dells, which reached #16 nationally. Kirschner later had two other record labels, Calendar which had early hits by The Archies and the Kirschner label which had later hits by The Archies and Kansas. Calendar/Kirschner recordings were first distributed by RCA Records then CBS Records.
[edit] The Monkees
In the early 1960s, Kirshner was a successful music publisher (head of his own company 'Aldon Music', with partner Al Nevins), bringing performers together (like Bobby Darin) with songwriters and musicians.
Kirshner was hired by the producers of The Monkees to provide hitworthy songs to accompany the TV program, within a demanding timeframe. Kirshner quickly corralled songwriting talent from his Brill Building stable of writers and musicians to create catchy, engaging tracks which the band could pretend to perform on the show.
This move wasn't because of any lack of Monkee talent, though as a band they had little experience or polish and Micky Dolenz was completely new to drums, but to emphasize comedy over music, and to churn out ready-to-go recordings to give each new episode its own song. Each Monkee was retained for vocal duties, but they weren't allowed to play on the records.
The formula worked phenomenally well: singles Last Train to Clarksville and I'm a Believer and the first two Monkees albums were produced and released in time to catch the initial wave of the TV program's popularity. Future Taj Mahal and John Lennon guitarist, Jesse Ed Davis sat in on guitar. But after a year, the Monkees wanted another chance to all play their own instruments on the records. They also wanted additional oversight into which songs would be released as singles. Further, when word belatedly came out that the band hadn't played on the first season's songs a controversy arose, and the public expressed a desire to hear the TV stars perform their own music.
The matter reached a breaking point over a disagreement regarding the Neil Diamond-penned A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You in early 1967. The song, released by Kirshner as a single without the band's consent, led to his dismissal. The initial B-side was replaced with a Nesmith song, performed by the Monkees themselves, and they performed on the next year's recordings, featured in the show's second season. Monkees record sales dropped to nearly half after Kirshner's departure.
Kirshner's later venture was The Archies, an animated series where there were only the studio musicians to be managed.
[edit] 'Rock Concert' TV show
In the fall of 1972, Kirshner was asked by ABC Television to serve as executive producer and "creative consultant" for their new "In Concert" series which aired every other week in the 11:30 pm slot normally showing the Dick Cavett Show. The following September, Kirshner left "In Concert" to produce and host his own syndicated weekly rock-concert program called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. With its long-form live performances, as compared to canned, often lip-synched performances that were the staple of earlier TV shows like Shindig!, it was a real breakthrough. Many consider it the predecessor to MTV.
The program presented many of the most successful rock bands of the era, but what was consistent week-to-week was Kirshner's deliberately flat delivery as the program host. In its final season Rock Concert was mostly hosted by Kirshner's son and daughter whose delivery was the same as their father's.
Kirshner's wooden presentation style was later lampooned on Saturday Night Live by Paul Shaffer, most notably in Shaffer's introduction of the Blues Brothers during the duo's TV debut.
In the Blue Öyster Cult song, The Marshal Plan, from the album Cultösaurus Erectus, Don Kirshner voice is sampled introducing the fictitious Johnny: "A new phenomenon in the music world With six million albums to his credit in just two short years"
[edit] External links
- "Return of The Hit Man: On Music Legend Don Kirshner's To-Do List: Become Global Mogul" - David Segal, Washington Post, December 20, 2004
- Entry
- History of Rock entry
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