His father Gordon had performed in bands as a soprano saxophone player and singer, and his mother Lois played the organ and piano at church and in silent film theaters.

[10] Kirkman and Alexander founded the folk group the Inner Tubes, which at one time included both Cass Elliot and David Crosby.

[13] In 1966, a collection of poems penned by the six members of the Association was released as the book Crank Your Spreaders, this was reprinted in August 1969.

[17] Kirkman left the Association at the end of 1972, and returned when the band was reformed in 1979, after previously splitting up the year before.

He was present when he and the Association's other surviving members were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003[18] and when the band were recipients of the Rock Justice Awards on January 19, 2019, at The Village in Los Angeles.

[20] In the years following his departure from the Association, Kirkman retired from the music industry and worked in California as an addiction counselor.