Don Kirshner's Dead

I've blathered many, many times about how much I've always loved the bubblegum era of the late 60's as well as the Brill Building stuff, so it's a bummer that Don Kirshner just died.

In his long and varied career, Kirshner made his most important mark as the man who corralled, and published, some of the most valued songs in pop history at New York's Brill Building. His company, Aldon (co-owned with Al Nevins) published music by artists who emerged from that crucial scene, like Carole King and Gerry Goffin ("Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow") Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"), as well as Neil Sedaka and Neil Diamond.

Kirshner, who had been living in Boca Raton, Florida, also became known as the man who assembled two of the most famous "insta-pop groups" in history: The Monkees and The Archies.

Also, indirectly responsible for the greatest musical moment of the last decade.