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[Craig Leerman]

Many of you younger folks don't have a clue who Don Kirshner was, but to those of us who lived in the 70s remember him for the best music television show ever.  Before MTV and music videos, there was Don Kirshner's "Rock Concert". The show featured  everybody you can think of, from folksy acts, motown and soul, pop, rock, disco, and even punk bands. Even comedians like George Carlin were on it.

While most music variety shows  of the period featured just one musical guest per show, Rock Concert was wall to wall music (with an occasional comedian's set thrown in). And the best part, IT WAS ALL PERFORMED LIVE!  No lip syncing band like on Soul Train, but live performances.

Don was also a successful music publisher, and was influential in many artists and songwriters careers. 



 

[Ned Ward]

Oh I remember him. For a time he lived in our town in NJ, and had this pretty amazing house - late 70's and he had underwater speakers, a phone in every room. Came to blows with the town when he wanted to put up a broadcasting tower, which was quashed.

I remember staying up to watch bands on that show - Kansas, Cheap Trick, Kiss,  to name a few. We also used to laugh at Paul Schaffer's impression of him on SNL.

[Ivan Beaver]

Many of you younger folks don't have a clue who Don Kirshner was, but to those of us who lived in the 70s remember him for the best music television show ever.  Before MTV and music videos, there was Don Kirshner's "Rock Concert". The show featured  everybody you can think of, from folksy acts, mowtown and soul, pop, rock, disco, and even punk bands. Even comedians like George Carlin were on it.

While most music variety shows  of the period featured just one musical guest per show, Rock Concert was wall to wall music (with an occasional comedian's set thrown in). And the best part, IT WAS ALL PERFORMED LIVE!  No lip syncing band like on Soul Train, but live performances.

Don was also a successful music publisher, and was influential in many artists and songwriters careers.

You are right on.  I remember watching Rock Concert through the fuzz on my TV set.  I lived in the mountains at the time so reception was poor at best.

That show is part of the reason I got into this business.

[Pat Latimer]

You are right on.  I remember watching Rock Concert through the fuzz on my TV set.  I lived in the mountains at the time so reception was poor at best.

That show is part of the reason I got into this business.

His show was on the same line as Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special if I remember correctly. Both were excellent shows! I've seen some of the re-issue DVD's and you can't beat "live"!

RIP Don.

Pat

[Ken Barlow]

Many of you younger folks don't have a clue who Don Kirshner was, but to those of us who lived in the 70s remember him for the best music television show ever.  Before MTV and music videos, there was Don Kirshner's "Rock Concert". The show featured  everybody you can think of, from folksy acts, mowtown and soul, pop, rock, disco, and even punk bands. Even comedians like George Carlin were on it.

While most music variety shows  of the period featured just one musical guest per show, Rock Concert was wall to wall music (with an occasional comedian's set thrown in). And the best part, IT WAS ALL PERFORMED LIVE!  No lip syncing band like on Soul Train, but live performances.

Don was also a successful music publisher, and was influential in many artists and songwriters careers.

I remember being introduced to many bands from his show. I remember being floored when Black Sabbath performed. Made me pick up a guitar and was I was hooked immediately. Sad day indeed. R.I.P DK.

[Mike Christy]

Some of my memories of DKRC include seeing Kiss for the first time ( simply dressed in black Ts with what looked like elmers glue and glitter stuck to it ), then there was Edgar Winter who performed the Double Drum Solo Song, live - which is what Frankenstein was originally called.

I think it came on at 11:30, and I thought it was much better than The MNS with Wolfman Jack.

I sat about 2 feet from the screen - so not to wake everyone else sleeping in the house, hence my radiation poisoning today...

Mike

[Mike Brown (NW CT)]

Don was of course the musical director for the Monkees, up until "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You".  OK, I know, I know - but some of those records were darned good ones, and there were some ace players on them - James Burton, Glen Campbell, Louie Shelton and  Gerry McGee for starters.

Don got sacked for a number of reasons, the aforementioned "A Little Bit..." single being the straw that broke the camel's back. The group was quite unhappy with the second album "More Of The Monkees" for various reasons (the album actually had some great songs on it, like "She", "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone", "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love", "I'm a Believer" and Carole King's gorgeous "Sometime In The Morning" - there were 3 really bad songs on there but on balance, if you compared it to most of its contemporaries, it delivered a good bang for the buck).

[ProSoundWeb Community]