Ringside Report Looks Back At Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert – Entertainment News

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By James Gatto

“Ooga Chaka, Ooga Chaka, Ooga Ooga Ooga Chaka….I…I,I..I,I, I’m hooked on a feeling.” When I think of “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” I immediately think about that episode with Blue Swede doing their rendition of the B.J. Thomas hit “Hooked On A Feeling.” And while they soon disappeared, never to be heard from again, Blue Swede was just one of many new acts that were introduced on Don Kirshner’s show. In September of 1973, the first show was aired late on a Saturday night. What was unique about “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” was there was at least one new act on every show. These were songs by bands you didn’t normally hear on the radio.

So, we were introduced to bands like Wishbone Ash, Todd Rundgren, Mother’s Finest, Blue Swede, and many more. Some made it, some didn’t. It was all good. Also, as a slight departure from traditional music-oriented shows, we were introduced to new standup comedians every week. Many of whom got their first major exposure on this rock and roll show! And although some were already famous, I had never heard of most of them. The first time I saw George Carlin, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, and so many others was on “Rock Concert.” That alone was worth the price of admission!

Often times you were surprised to see bands whose songs you heard on the radio but had no clue who they were. “School’s Out” was a big hit in 1972. I knew the song was by Alice Cooper, but I had no idea who he or she was. The first time I saw Alice Cooper was on Rock Concert. I will never forget it. The scene was this crazy looking guy fighting through a crowd of both police and fans trying to make it to the stage. When Alice arrived on the stage, he opened with his hit “I’m Eighteen.” I can remember sitting there as a 10-year-old thinking “what the heck is this? Who is this person?” This was at a time when crazy stage performances we’re not part of a normal rock concert. Alice Cooper was doing something different. There was a narrative of some kind. A story attached to the music. That was new to me, a 10-year-old, but new to the world of rock and roll in many ways. What’s important here is that we were able to attach a face and an identity to the music we were listening to on the radio. Especially for the younger crowd who were not going to concerts. We had no money, no car, and a curfew. So, as a young man, I consumed my music via radio, record album, and thankfully now, television.

Over the years, as a dedicated fan of the work of Don Kirshner, his show, and many shows like it, played a major role in expanding my musical universe, especially as a young man. As a musician I mostly watched for enjoyment, but in some ways to learn. Learn about the origins, influences, similarities and differences from band to band. I would mostly focus on the drummer, as I was always looking to pick up new tricks. Or simply, “so that’s how they do that” moments. But most important, we were no longer relegated to listening to the most popular Top 40 stations and subject to the producer’s tastes. They played what sells and could make or break an artist. What we saw on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert didn’t have much to do with what was going on in the production rooms of the Top 40 AM radio stations which were dominating the airwaves at the time. We got the goods, all of them. A well-rounded cornucopia of new, old, and obscure. You weren’t ever going to hear Ray Barretto, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, or Roy Buchanan on the radio. Never, ever. I became a big fan of these and so many other great artists who never made it to the airwaves. For me, that was the show’s greatest gift.

By 1972 Don Kirshner was an established big player in the music industry. His work behind the scenes as a producer, publisher, and creative director brought us some pop music icons. He had worked as the music supervisor on the TV show “The Monkees” and helped launch the careers of many great talents–Carole King and Neil Diamond, to name a few. So, with his credentials he was offered an opportunity to work on a new show called “In Concert” for ABC. He produced two shows and decided to go out on his own and bring us “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.” “In Concert” continued on without him and was moderately successful. Don Kirshner’s idea was to bring live concerts with no lip syncing to television. The shows were taped before a live audience at the Hofstra Playhouse in Hempstead, New York. Each act would do three or four songs. The show ran for 90 minutes per episode and usually featured four or five different acts and often including one stand-up, or comedy act. A big hit, the show would run from 1973 until 1981, the same year that the music video hit the scene and was all the rage. But what Don Kirshner brought to us for those years was top-rate entertainment and a music education. When Don would introduce the act, he would give some background of the band, their history, and his opinion of their significance to the music industry. In some ways, as a teenager dreaming of a career in music, that was just as interesting as the concert itself. I was learning about the business. He also did many interviews with music industry executives and the artists themselves. Great stuff!! I truly miss that show.

Stay tuned for my next installment of Rock and Roll on TV

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