Alan Freed
Alan Freed was a pioneering disc jockey known for popularizing rhythm-and-blues music and is often credited with coining the term "rock and roll." Beginning his influential career in Cleveland in 1951, Freed's radio show, "Moondog's Rock and Roll Party," quickly gained a dedicated audience. He was instrumental in promoting black artists like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino by showcasing their original recordings, rather than the more common white covers of the time. In 1952, he organized the "Moondog Coronation Ball," which is regarded as the first rock concert.
Freed's success continued as he moved to New York, where his nightly shows became immensely popular. However, his career faced challenges due to legal troubles related to a riot at one of his shows and allegations of "payola," leading to his eventual downfall. Despite these controversies, Freed's contributions to music and culture had a lasting impact, especially on race relations in the United States. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, marking his significance in the history of American music. Tragically, Freed's life was cut short at the age of 43 due to cirrhosis of the liver, but his legacy as a key figure in the evolution of rock and roll endures.
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Alan Freed
- Born: December 15, 1921
- Birthplace: Windber, Pennsylvania
- Died: January 20, 1965
- Place of death: Palm Springs, California
Identification Radio disc jockey
Alan Freed introduced a generation of young white people to African American rhythm-and-blues music, which he called “rock and roll,” and became a pivotal figure in pop-music history.
Alan Freed is sometimes credited with inventing the term “rock and roll,” which he used in reference to rhythm-and-blues music. Freed was a journeyman disc jockey when a Cleveland record store owner suggested he play “black music” to white teenagers. “Moondog’s Rock and Roll Party” debuted on radio station WJW in July, 1951. Freed’s musical taste and hyperactive on-air personality won him many fans. In 1952, he organized the “Moondog Coronation Ball,” considered to be the first rock concert.
In September, 1954, Freed moved to WINS in New York. His nightly “Rock and Roll Party” soon became the city’s most popular program. During the 1950’s, white artists recording for major labels often “covered” songs by black singers on independent labels. Freed insisted on playing the original versions, enabling black musicians such as Chuck Berry and Fats Domino to become major stars. A tireless promoter of rock-and-roll music and himself, Freed hosted stage shows and two television programs and appeared in five musical films. He was attacked by conservatives for corrupting young people.
Freed’s legal troubles began in 1958, when he was charged with “incitement to riot” after violence erupted outside his Boston stage show. Although the charges were eventually dropped, his contract was not renewed by WINS. However, he bounced back on WABC, a larger station. Freed added to his problems by drinking excessively and associating with organized crime figures. In November, 1959, he was accused of accepting money to play records (“payola”), payments which he claimed were “consulting fees.” Fired by WABC for the scandal, his career was destroyed. In 1962, he pleaded guilty to commercial bribery and was fined three hundred dollars. After two unsuccessful comeback attempts, he died of cirrhosis of the liver at age forty-three.
Impact
Alan Freed was the best known of the white disc jockeys who first played black music on mainstream radio stations. A tragically flawed man, he forever changed popular music and indirectly affected race relations in the United States. In 1986, he was part of the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bibliography
Altschuler, Glenn C. All Shook Up: How Rock ’n’ Roll Changed America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Places rock-and-roll music in the context of the cultural conservatism of 1950’s America and emphasizes the effects of race and class on the genre.
Fong-Torres, Ben. The Hits Just Keep on Coming: The History of Top 40 Radio. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2001. Provides behind-the-scenes stories of the decade’s most popular disc jockeys, including Freed.
Jackson, John A. Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock and Roll. New York: Schirmer, 1991. The definitive biography of Alan Freed.