Condolences: Martin Kirkup
• Martin Kirkup, co-founder of Direct Management Group, died Sunday, Feb. 4 at the age of 75. Together with his Direct Management partners Steven Jensen and Bradford Cobb, Kirkup managed k.d. lang, Katy Perry, and Au/Ra.
The UK-born Kirkup moved to the U.S. in 1973 to accept a position as a visiting professor of English Literature at the University of Rhode Island; however, his career trajectory changed dramatically as he later moved to New York City, and in 1974 was hired by A&M Records as East Coast Publicity Director. The following year Kirkup was named head of the label’s creative services department, and in 1979 was upped to VP of Artist Development overseeing campaigns for artists like Peter Frampton, Styx, Squeeze, Joe Jackson, The Police and Joan Armatrading.
In April 1985, Kirkup and Steven Jensen founded Direct Management Group, which enjoyed early success in handling pop duo Boy Meets Girl and British new wave artists Echo & The Bunnymen and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and guiding Bryan Ferry on his first solo international tour. The success of The B-52s’ quadruple-Platinum album Cosmic Thing – with its hit singles “Love Shack” and “Roam” — in 1989 established the company as a secure home for unique artists intent on forging their own path to success.
In 1991, Direct signed Counting Crows, who enjoyed a massively successful 10-year run in which they sold 25 million albums worldwide. During the nineties, Direct managed artists such as David Byrne, Joe Jackson, Seal, and the New Radicals. Bradford Cobb joined Direct in 1998, and became a partner in 2012. The company welcomed k.d. lang, Tracy Chapman, Katy Perry, The Go-Go’s, and Jamie Cullum to its roster in the early 2000s, followed later by Adam Lambert, Steve Perry, and Au/Ra.
Steven Jensen recalls, “Martin Kirkup and I conceived Direct Management while drinking raki at a restaurant high above the Bosphorus in Istanbul, escaping the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. We were both fans of alternative pop music and focused on establishing a boutique management company to support that exciting genre of music. I’m proud to have built Direct Management with Martin and Bradford Cobb to the global presence it has today, with integrity, honor and ingenuity, much of which was contributed by Martin. His influence is a permanent fixture of the Direct Management culture.”
Bradford Cobb adds, “Martin Kirkup was a class act, a gentleman, and he was brilliant. Over my 25 years working alongside him at Direct, he had a major influence on my growth as a manager and a human. Of his many talents, one that I admired most was his ability to take a problem and dissect it down to its core, finding a solution with a calm demeanor that gave everyone around him confidence. Martin had excellent taste in music, and he had great reverence for the artists who created it. He was witty with a wicked sense of humor. Martin was also warm and genuinely caring, and it was an honor to be his partner.”
Kirkup is survived by his loving wife, Lale Kirkup, daughter Melisa Kirkup Blatt and son-in-law Ben Blatt, son John Kirkup and daughter-in-law Lorien Kirkup, and three grandchildren, Sam, Abigail, and Ivy. Information on a celebration of Martin’s life will come at a later date. [Photo Credit: Lester Cohen]
