Donald Clark Kirshner, also known as The Man With the Golden Ear, was born on the 17th April 1934, in The Bronx, New York City USA, and was a music producer and manager, probably best recognized for managing a number of popular bands such as The Monkees, among others. His career was active from the early 1950s to 2011. He passed away in 2011.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Don Kirshner was? According to authoritative sources, it was estimated that the total size of Don’s wealth was over $50 million at the time of his death, accumulated through his successful involvement in the music industry.
Don Kirshner Net Worth $50 Million
Don Kirshner was raised in a Jewish family by his father, Gilbert Kirshner, who worked as a tailor, and his mother, Belle Jaffe, who was a homemaker. He attended George Washington High School in Manhattan, and upon matriculation enrolled at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. Right after graduation, he started to pursue his career in the music industry.
Thus, Don’s professional career began when he was hired at Vanderbilt Music, where he met Sylvester Bradford. The two of them wrote the popular hit song “Tears On My Pillow” in 1958 for Little Anthony and the Imperials, which marked the beginning of an increasing net worth. Later, in the early 1960s he co-founded the publishing company called Aldon Music, alongside his friend Al Nevins. The company was one of the most influential on the music scene, as they collaborated with such songwriters and musicians as Cynthia Weil, Paul Simon, and Neil Diamond, among others. Later, they sold the company to Screen Gems-Columbia Music; however, he continued to work as a producer and manager, and his first major project after that was with Bobby Darin, with whom he released the hit single “Bubblegum Pop”. Moreover, he also launched the careers of such musicians as Carole King, Neil Diamond and the rock band Kansas. In 1966, Don became the president of COLGEMS, a part of the COLPIX record label, which added a considerable amount to his net worth.
Subsequently, Don became the producer of The Monkees, a rock band, which hired him to provide their songs on their TV program, as he worked as a creative consultant and executive producer on the TV series “In Concert” on the ABC channel. Beside that, he also hired his songwriters to work on the Monkees’ songs, so their first two studio albums were a complete success with hit singles “I’m A Believer”, “Valleri” and “Last Train To Clarksville”. All of these successful projects increased the popularity of the band, but also Don’s popularity as well, and his net worth by a large margin.
To speak further about Don’s career, he created his own musical show “Don Kirshner’s Concert”. He was also the manager of The Archies, and from 1966 to 1977 worked as a music supervisor for the TV series “Bewitched”. Other than that, he established three more record labels – Chairman Records, Calendar Records and the Kirshner label, which also contributed to his wealth.
Thanks to his accomplishment in the music industry, Don won the Songwriters Hall of Fame Abe Olman Publishing Award in 2007, and five years later was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Speaking about his personal life, Don Kirshner was married to Sheila Grod Kirshner from 1959 to 2011; he was the father of two children. He passed away from a heart failure at the age of 76, on the 17th January 2011 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
