He doesn't really fit the sideman category, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had to put him somewhere for his contributions, so in 2012 Don Kirshner was inducted under that heading.Kirshner saw potential in the young songwriters Neil Sedaka, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. At his publishing company Aldon music (across the street from the Brill Building in New York City), these upstarts wrote - and sometimes performed - the hit songs that shaped the sound of the early '60s: "The Loco-Motion," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "On Broadway," and so many others.
In 1963, Kirshner sold Aldon to Screen Gems, where he ran the operations. Now a bi-coastal mogul, he created The Monkees and continued to nurture songwriters and artists, leaving an indelible stamp on music history.
Kirshner's story is told in the book Don Kirshner: The Man with the Golden Ear, whose author, Rich Podolsky, wrote this Fact or Fiction. See if you can spot the real stories of the man who changed the face of Rock and Roll.
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