Photo: By Rogers, Cowan & Brenner, Beverly Hills-publicity (eBay front back) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert premiered for the first time on broadcast television in 1973. In the early 1970s, most homes only received televised programming from less than a dozen broadcast channels. Cable TV had not yet infiltrated mass culture. In 1973, no one had even heard of the concept of cable TV. Nonetheless, once a week, usually on a Saturday at 11.30 pm, we all gathered around the television set to watch Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Seeing the bands we had never seen in concert perform live or from taped live concerts was spellbinding.
The Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert series, which began in 1973, originally started as a show called “In Concert” in 1972. The show’s performance in the 11:30 p.m. time slot began to draw huge ratings. Don Kirshner, who had been associated with the “In Concert” series, left the show to develop the iconic Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert television series, which lasted from 1973 to 1981 and was broadcast on American Television.
The show featured such well-known acts as The Allman Brothers Band, Bad Company, Badfinger, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, The Eagles, Pat Benatar, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Edgar Winter, Rory Gallagher, George Harrison, Billy Joel, Journey, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rush, The Ramones, Steve Miller, Van Morrison and so many more. The first band to ever appear on the show was the Rolling Stones in a live appearance from London. Check out the complete list below.
Other music specials began to broadcast in the 1970s, including “The Wolfman Jack Show,” featuring the notorious radio disk jockey from the 1950s. The Midnight Special also became a very popular late-night music program. With the premiere of Saturday Night Live in the mid-nineteen seventies opposite Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, competition for viewership increased because of Saturday Night Live’s popularity. Saturday Night Live also had a penchant for attracting the most popular music artists of the period to perform live on the show.
In the 1960s and 1970s, we never imagined the advent of MTV, cable television, and even the Internet. Our only opportunity to enjoy music was through the vinyl grooves of the albums we loved and the concert performances we attended. The Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert series began a series of events that would eventually change the music industry and the fan experience.
Don Kirshner’s Career
While most rock fans who grew up in the 1970s only associate Don Kirshner with his rock music television show, many do not know the man’s musical success before his legendary television show. Don Kirshner’s first foray into the music business was when he began working with Bobby Darin, collaborating on jingles. In the late 1950s, Don Kirshner co-founded a successful music publishing company called Aldon Music with Al Nevins.
Don Kirshner and Al Nevins utilized that Publishing Company in association with Brill Building songwriters such as Carole King, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, and so many more wonderful songwriters at the time. Eventually, Don Kirshner sold the company to Columbia Records.
Don Kirshner would go on to manage many legendary musical artists. As the head of Screen Gems Music, Don Kirshner was responsible for the eventual success of the band The Monkees and their successful television show. Don Kirshner also launched the career of the band The Archies. Even on the Progressive music side, Don Kirshner was known as the man who discovered the legendary rock band Kansas.
Don Kirshner never stopped working in the music business in some form. He continued promoting music and finding new talent up until the age of 76, when he passed away due to heart failure. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized his contributions to rock and roll by inducting him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, a year after his passing.
Rock and Roll bands and artists that appeared on the show. Not all of these artists performed live but sent clips to the show to be played.
Bar Kays
B. B. King
New Birth
Slave
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
Walter Murphy
Updated May 3, 2024
Before MTV, There Was Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024
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Its amazing how much that show influenced what we listen to today. We should bring it back on Brian Kachejian’s Classic Rock History TV.
why will no one release Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert | DVD Set of Classic Music Series on dvd???
Don Kirshner was a brilliant business operator and pop music mogul, but wasn’t the most charismatic presenter in front of a camera, monotoning his way through scripts. Keyboardist / Arranger Paul Shafer (of David Letterman Show and Blues Brothers movie )once did a hilarious imitation of Kirshner on Saturday Night Live, now most likely buried in a pile of videotape in some obscure NBC storage room.
Thanks, Don, especially for bringing us the amazing music of Kansas. And, nice imitation, Paul Shaffer.
Chain Lightning, from Katy Lied by Steely Dan is about them appearing on the show. ” Don’t question the little man….”