| Gary Kurfirst | |
| Birth Date: | Gary Kurfirst, July 8, 1947 |
| Birth Place: | Forest Hills, Queens U.S. |
| Death Date: | January 13, 2009 (aged 61) Bahamas |
| Occupation: | Concert promoter, artist management, film producer, music publisher and label executive |
| Years Active: | 1966-2009 |
| Spouse: | Survived by Phyllis Kurfirst |
| Children: | Survived by Josh Kurfirst, Lindsay Yannocone & 6 grandchildren |
| Website: | https://www.garykurfirst.com/ |
Gary Kurfirst (8 July 1947 - 13 January 2009) was a music industry pioneer known to insiders for his discerning taste, distinctive management style, and vehemently protecting the artists he represented. He was instrumental in guiding the careers of many legendary artists including Talking Heads, Ramones, B-52’s, Peter Tosh, Jane’s Addiction, Eurythmics Shirley Manson of Garbage and Live resulting in more than a 100 million in record sales worldwide and multiple Grammy Awards.[1] Kurfirst played a pivotal role in the creation as executive producer of the Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense, and produced the films True Stories and Siesta. Kurfirst’s professional achievements still continue to shape pop culture and influence new talent in the global music community. Seymour Stein, founder of Sire Records and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, summed up Kurfirst’s contribution, "Gary was brilliant in his ability to spot changes in music ahead of most people and had the courage to act on his instincts.".[2]
Kurfirst was responsible for bringing the sixties music revolution to New York. In 1967 he opened the doors to the infamous Village Theater later known as the Fillmore East, where he promoted the east coast debuts of more than twenty icons that include Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page’s Yardbirds.[3] In 1968, at the age of twenty, and one year before Woodstock, he created the model for the contemporary music festival by producing and promoting the legendary New York Rock Festival at the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadow Park where Hendrix, The Doors, Joplin, and The Who appeared together, among others.[4] He was also at the forefront of bringing acid-rock guitar bands to the music community with the band Mountain, who he managed from 1967 to 1975.
Having established a solid foothold in the music business as a teenager during the mid to late 60’s by promoting shows and managing Mountain, Kurfirst's career really blossomed in the 70’s and 80’s. In 1970 he signed Free, and in 1971 he signed Brazilian artist Deodato, and helped his album achieve gold status.[5] In the mid 70’s Kurfirst teamed up with Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, to form a management company called Island Artists, and helped Chris introduce reggae to America by working closely with Bob Marley and The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals, and Third World.[6]
Gary Kurfirst has the distinction as the only manager to have two clients inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. In 2002, his defense of creative expression earned both the Talking Heads and the Ramones induction onto the elite roster. Band members Christ Frantz and Tina Weymouth stated,"...he allowed Talking Heads to be Talking Heads while he took the blows that the music business dealt us...". Clients, Debbie Harry in 2018, The Clash’s Mick Jones in 2003, and the Eurythmics in 2022 are also inductees.
While simultaneously managing a stable of recording artists, Kurfirst executive produced the Talking Heads’ critically acclaimed and award-winning concert film Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme in 1984 which was registered in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2021. He produced two feature-length films. In 1986, the quirky satire of American life, True Stories directed by David Byrne, and Siesta in 1987 directed by Mary Lambert featuring an all-star cast including Jodi Foster, Ellen Barkin, Isabella Rossellini, and Martin Sheen, and negotiated the soundtrack by the elusive Miles Davis.
In 1990 Kurfirst joined forces with MCA and launched Radioactive Records. His marketing strategies brought MCA their first modern music success of the era with Radioactive’s band Live. The band had sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, and had two number-one Billboard albums and dozens of number-one albums in international territories. Kurfirst also signed Shirley Manson in 1991 and then brokered her deal with Almo as the lead singer of Garbage who has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide to date.
In 2002 Kurfirst and longtime friend Chris Blackwell launched two new music ventures: a talent management company, Kurfirst-Blackwell Entertainment, and Rx Records, a uniquely structured imprint offering its artists more contractual flexibility and creative latitude than the majors.
Gary Kurfirst began managing the Talking Heads in 1977 after attending their show at CBGB’s in New York. He remained their only manager. Talking Heads are an American new wave band formed in 1975 in New York City.[7] The band was composed of David Byrne (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass) and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar). Described as "one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s," Talking Heads helped to pioneer new wave music by combining elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with an anxious yet clean-cut image.[8]
Gary Kurfirst took the helm as the Ramones manager in 1978 and remained their manager until after their final concert in 1996 at The Palace in Hollywood (show number 2,263 in their career). Johnny Ramone recalls his impression of Kurfirst in his autobiography, Commando, "When I realized that we had to change managers and that our career was not taking off like we thought it should ... I pushed for Gary Kurfirst. He’d been managing the Talking Heads, and back in 1977 when they opened for us at the Orpheum in Boston, he made an impression on me. Arturo tried to give the Talking Heads less lights, and Kurfirst got on the case right away. There was a big argument over it, and I liked that he was sticking up for his band. I’d also known of Gary because as a kid, he lived across the street from me. I didn’t know him, but I knew his younger brother. In the sixties, Gary managed Leslie West and The Vagrants and promoted concerts at the Singer Bowl in Queens, like the Doors/Who show. He had a track record, and I was sort of impressed with him. It was a good change. Once we got Gary as manager, we started making more money."[9]
Kurfirst died at age 61 on January 13, 2009, while he was vacationing in the Bahamas.[4]
Kurfirst’s more than 40 year career in music and entertainment left a lasting legacy defined by ground-breaking artists he represented and the quality art they created with him at the helm.