Don Kirshner

Don Kirshner
Dionne Warwick, Don Kirschner, Helen Reddy and Olivia Newton-John in 1974
Born	Donald Kirshner ( 1934-04-17)April 17, 1934 Bronx, New York, U.S.A.
Died	January 17, 2011(2011-01-17) (aged 76) Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A.
Occupation(s)	Songwriter, publisher, music producer, manager
Years active	1950s – 2011
Spouse	Sheila Grod Kirshner (1959–2011)
Children	2

Don Kirshner (April 17, 1934 – January 17, 2011) was an American song publisher and rock producer. He managed successful pop groups such as The Monkees, Kansas, and The Archies.^[1] Kirshner was born and raised in the Bronx. He studied at the Bronx High School of Science. One of his classmates there was Bobby Darin.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Kirshner and his partner Al Nevins had a successful music publishing company called Aldon Music. They managed songwriters from the "Brill Building", including Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Jack Keller. He also had three record labels: Chairman, Calendar, and Kirshner Records.

ABC Television asked Kirshner to produce a new music TV program call "In Concert". He left after one year to produce his own show called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. This show featured live rock music performances and was very successful.

He died of heart failure in Boca Raton, Florida on January 17, 2011. He was 76 years old.^[2][3]

References

1. New York Times obituary, 01/19/2011
2. Sam Thielman (January 18, 2011). "Don Kirshner, music publisher and producer, dies". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
3. Matt Schudel (January 18, 2011). "Don Kirshner, hit-making rock impresario of the 1960s, dies at 76". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2011.