Curbishley is older brother of ex-West Ham United and Charlton Athletic manager, Alan Curbishley, and grew up in West Ham. He started his career in the music business in 1971, managing tours for The Who and other artists such as Thunderclap Newman, Golden Earring and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Curbishley produced The Who's film Tommy and the prison movie McVicar , both starring Roger Daltrey. Curbishley's company acquired management of The Who in 1976 and soon expanded to manage other well-known artists such as Judas Priest and Robert Plant. In 1994, Curbishley assumed management of guitarist Jimmy Page, and in the same year, was integral in the reuniting of Page and Plant, both former members of Led Zeppelin.