Gary Kurfirst
Gary Kurfirst (8 July 1947 – 13 January 2009) was an American music promoter,
Early years
Kurfirst was born in Forest Hills, Queens.[2] He started promoting dances while he was still a student at Forest Hills High School in Queens. He rapidly moved on to organizing and promoting shows at the tennis stadium at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills and moving across the East River to promoting gigs in Manhattan. Kurfirst helped arrange the first East Coast performances of acts including Jimi Hendrix and The Who.[1]
Career
He established the Village Theater in the
While negotiating a contract for the group Mountain in the late 1960s, Kurfirst developed a close relationship with Chris Blackwell, his counterpart at Island Records. Blackwell, quoted in Kurfirst's obituary in The New York Times, described him as "one of the first managers who basically built the rock business", stating that Kurfirst "stayed below the radar and once refused the cover of Rolling Stone because he felt it was not the right time for his band".[1]
Kurfirst managed reggae artists
Films
Kurfirst also produced four films, including Siesta, Stop Making Sense, True Stories and a documentary about the Ramones.
Death
Kurfirst died at age 61 on January 13, 2009, while he was vacationing in the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Goldman, Vivien (January 16, 2009). "Gary Kurfirst, Rock Promoter and Manager of the Talking Heads, Dies at 61". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
- ISBN 0-06-050731-4. Accessed June 18, 2009. "The man was Gary Kurfirst. He was born in Forest Hills, Queens, in 1947. He was a manager."
- ^ Shelton, Robert (August 25, 1968). "Rock Fete With Jimi Hendrix Draws 18,000 to Singer Bowl". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ "Gary Kurfirst". Gary Kurfirst. Retrieved August 19, 2014.