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Music

RIP Steve Kirman

If you’re a Canadian musician in Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa, you know Steve Kirman’s work, even if you’ve never heard his last name.

Kirman is the Steve in Steve’s Music, the musical instrument chain that he founded in Montreal in 1965 when he was just 19 years old. He passed away this Saturday (March 3).

Even after the store expanded to other cities, Kirman ran it like a small business, and his family has long been involved in the day-to-day operations. His stores may have grown to become huge businesses (the original Montreal location has nine sections, and basically takes up a whole city block), but they still managed to feel intimate. He liked to be addressed as Mr. Steve, which gives you a sense of his managerial approach.

Just last Wednesday I was at the Toronto Queen West location, picking up a new fuzz pedal because I’d read that St Vincent uses the same one live. As usual, the musicians working behind the counter couldn’t resist sharing knowledge and tips while they tallied up my bill, which is something you expect at tiny shops, but isn’t always as common as it should be at big box music stores like Steve’s.

The memorial service will be in Montreal tomorrow (March 6), and contributions in his memory can be made to B’nai Brith Food Baskets, or to the Steve Kirman Memorial Fund (c/o Donald Berman Maimonides Foundation).

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