Table of Biography
Don Kirshner is a late American music publisher, music consultant, rock music producer, talent manager, and songwriter. Don Kirshner is popular for managing successful pop groups such as The Monkees, Kansas, and The Archies.
Early Life
On the 17th of April 1934, Don Kirshner was born in the Bronx, New York, in the United States of America. He was 76 years old when he passed away and held American nationality. In addition, he has a birth sign of Aries and belongs to the Jewish ethnicity. Moreover, he follows the Jewish religion.
Talking about his parents, he was born to Gilbert Kirshner (father) and Belle Jaffe Kirshner (mother). Professionally, his father was a tailor and his mother was a homemaker. In addition, he was the youngest of three children, with an older brother, Danny, and an older sister, Shirl.
Don Kirshner – Death
Kirshner passed away on January 17, 2011, at the age of 76, in Boca Raton, Florida. He died due to heart failure. He is remembered as an influential figure. In the music industry, he played a significant role in launching the careers of many famous songwriters and musicians.
Professional Career
In the late 1950s, Don Kirshner co-founded Aldon Music, a music publishing company that helped launch the careers of many famous songwriters, including Carole King, Neil Diamond, and Gerry Goffin. Through his work at Aldon Music, Kirshner became known as the “Man with the Golden Ear” for his ability to spot and develop new talent.
Caption: Don in the music studio (Source: Don’s Rock Concert)
In the 1960s, he was hired by Screen Gems Music, where he continued to work as a music publisher and producer. He helped create the “Brill Building Sound,” a style of pop music that was popular in the 1960s and featured catchy melodies and well-crafted lyrics.
In the early 1970s, he produced and hosted a popular television show called “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert,” which featured live performances from some of the biggest names in rock music at the time.
Throughout his career, he worked with many famous musicians, including The Monkees, Bobby Darin, and The Archies. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.
Awards
In his career, Kirshner has received several awards and recognitions. In 1984, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his contributions to the music industry as a songwriter and music publisher. Moreover, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in the year 1992.
Caption: Don posing with his award (Source: | Songwriters Hall of Fame)
In 2007, Kirshner was posthumously inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame for his contributions to the music industry. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Kirshner a posthumous Daytime Emmy Award for his work as the creator and executive producer of “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” in the year 2012.
Don Kirshner – Net Worth 2024
At the time of his death, his net worth was around $50 million. He earned such amount of money in his career as a music publisher, music consultant, rock music producer, talent manager, and songwriter.
Relationship Status
Caption: Don with his wife (Source: MusicRadar)
Talking about his personal life, Don Kirshner married Sheila Grod in 1959. With the marriage, the couple has two kids whose names are Ricky and Daryn. Till the time of his death, Kirshner and his wife were married. Aside from this, there is no information related to his past relationship.
Controversies
During his professional career, he has been involved few controversies. In the 1960s, Kirshner was involved in a legal dispute with The Monkees, a band that he had assembled and produced. The band members wanted more creative control over their music, while Kirshner insisted on controlling the band’s output. Eventually, the band won the dispute and gained more control over their music.
In the 1970s, there were accusations that Kirshner was lip-syncing some of the performances on his television show, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.” Some musicians who appeared on the show claimed that they had to lip-sync their performances instead of performing live.
In the 1990s, Kirshner was involved in a lawsuit with Neil Diamond, one of the songwriters who got his start at Aldon Music, the publishing company that Kirshner co-founded. Diamond claimed that he owed millions of dollars in royalties from his early work, but Kirshner disputed the claim. The two eventually settled out of court.
Body Measurements and Social Media
This actor has brow hair with a pair of eye colors. Apart from this, there are very few known regarding Kirshner’s body measurements such as height, weight, dress size, shoe size, and many others.
In addition, he was handsome, good-looking, and charming personality. As of now, this American producer is no more alive in this world, so we can say that, he is not active on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.