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Tyler Reese
Professor J. McKeever
English 1020
12 July 2014
Word Count: 2,703
The Father of Rock n Roll: A Profile of Disc Jockey Alan Freed
Let's face it - rock 'n' roll is bigger than all of us is an often repeated quote by the
legendary disc jockey, Alan Freed (Jackson 47). In the mid 1950s Freed coined the phrase
Rock n Roll and defined it as a new music genre, which combined the sounds of R&B,
Country, Folk, Swing, and Blues. Alan Freeds story is like many other great American
tragedies. Freed began his career as a local disc jockey at a small Cleveland, Ohio radio station
but he quickly became one of the most popular radio personalities of the era. Freed loved Rock
music and did not hesitate to defend it from what he considered harassment by both mainstream
media and community leaders. His calm and persuasive demeanor often worked to his
advantage during these heated debates; however, his strong stance on racial and sexual equality
brought his work and activities under greater scrutiny. By 1959, Freed had become a target of
the federal payola scandal and his career quickly unraveled. Alan Freeds visionary
understanding of music, his creativity, and his fearless defense of Rock music are what make
him the Father of Rock n Roll.
From Alan Freeds humble beginnings he already understood the importance of music
and how different genres could blend. Alan Freed was born Albert James Freed on December 15,
1921 near Johnston, Pennsylvania. At the age of twelve, his family moved to Salem, Ohio where
he joined his high school band as a trombone player (Fong-Torres). From a young age, Freed
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was drawn to and inspired by the rhythmic African-American influenced sounds of the Big Band
music. He looked to bandleaders like Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman as performers that could
easily mix the traditional white American Tin Pan Alley sound with the colorful and soulful
melodies of Country and Urban Blues (Jackson 52). As the Great Depression took root and
World War II loomed ahead, Alan Freed realized that his chances of becoming a successful
musician who could dabble in different musical genres were very limited. He enrolled at The
Ohio State University to study mechanical engineering. It was at the campus radio station where
Freed fell in love with radio and began to see its potential as a way to introduce thousands of
young people to new and unfamiliar styles of music. In 1945, Freed became a disc jockey at
WAKR in Akron where he played mostly jazz and pop recordings (Fong-Torres). From a young
age, Freed had already become aware of the wide variety of music being performed in America
from all facets of society. This knowledge and focused interest would allow Alan Freed to
introduce his listeners to a wide variety of musical genres and ultimately lead him to create his
own style of music he later dubbed, Rock n Roll.
In early 1951, while working at Clevelands WXEL-TV Freed found himself spending
hours of his free time at Leo Mintzs record shop, Record Rendezvous, which was one of
Clevelands largest record stores. Freed astutely observed young white customers buying records
previously marketed almost exclusively to black listeners (Fong-Torres). Freed realized that the
R&B sound was appealing to the white kids because of its Blues based beat and its adaptability
to the popular dance crazes. Freed decided to leave television and emcee an R&B radio program
at Clevelands WJW radio station (Jackson 34). Although hesitant at first, Freed left television
and began working the midnight shift as a disc jockey at WJW. Freeds visionary knowledge of
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music and his understanding of the American teenager allowed Freed to transcend the traditional
boundaries of music radio and introduce listeners to a new genre of music.
Along with Alan Freeds visionary understanding of music, his creativity in programming
his show and targeting his audience made him a trailblazer. On July 11, 1951, Alan Freed aired
his first radio program in Cleveland. Both Freed and his show were instant hits. Freed created a
unique radio persona by using an African-American accent and calling himself The King of
Moondoggers. Unlike most radio shows at the time, he began his late night R&B broadcasts
with his self-proclaimed theme song, an R&B recording called Moondog that got his listeners
excited and engaged (Fong-Torres). Freeds radio persona was unlike that of other disc jockeys.
While his contemporaries played traditional pop music using a subdued and low-keyed voice,
Freed addressed his listeners in an energetic hip voice as if they were all part of a make-believe
kingdom of hipsters, united in their love for black music (Fong-Torres). This established an in-
group feeling among his teenager listeners that brought a sense of inclusion and popularity to
his program. Although his program was late at night both black and white listeners would tune
into Freed to hear the new R&B hits (Jackson 56). With each broadcast, the King of
Moondoggers was gaining popularity among the teenage market and putting Cleveland on the
map as an epicenter of R&B music during the 1950s (N.A. Rock Hall). But one night this
would change. A few creatively well placed words by Alan Freed would transform Cleveland
from an R&B hub to the Rock n Roll capital of the world.
Alan Freed didnt want WJW to be like other R&B stations at the time and selected
music that he knew would appeal to his young audience. During his radio show, Freed played a
wide range of R&B records by artists like Fats Dominos, Muddy Waters, and Louis Jordan.
Through his selections listeners were exposed to Urban Blues, Doo Wop, Country, and Big Band
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swing songs that skillfully combined these sounds into a new but unnamed danceable beat
(Altschuler 32). Freed wanted to unite these artists and songwriters into one genre and establish a
musical style that was specifically designed for teenage listeners. The artists themselves and even
songwriters like Jesse Stone did not have a name for this new form of music that was appealing
to both black and white youth audiences. Jesse Stone explained, I had written a tune called
Shake, Rattle and Roll, but the white stations refused to play it - they thought it was low-class
black music. We thought what we needed was a new name (qtd. in Jackson 39). And then as
Stone stated, a white disc jockey named Alan Freed laid on it, and he thought up the name Rock
n Roll (Jackson 39). Freed knew that African-Americans used the euphemism rock n roll
to describe sex (Altschuler 35). Alan Freed liked the phrase so much that he decided to term the
hard-driving R&B and Doo-Wop hits he played as Rock n Roll tunes. The genre-tag quickly
took hold among Freeds youthful listeners. Pagent Magazine explained Freed, coined the
phrase rock and roll, and not only sparked the trend but fanned it into flame. (qtd. in Szatmary
48). Almost from the first moment he uttered the words Rock n Roll Freed, secured for this
new genre of music a legacy that would include hard driving sexual beats and an African-
American origin
Freed, however, was on a creativity roll. He was not content with just naming a new
genre of music; he wanted to throw a huge party that would bring national attention to this new
genre and catapult Rock music into the national spotlight (Fong-Torres). On March 21, 1952,
Alan Freed decided to host what many historians now consider the first Rock concert. In line
with his radio persona, he called the concert the Moondog Coronation Ball and booked Rock
performers like The Dominoes, Tiny Grimes, and Paul Williams to headline the show. The
concert was held at the Cleveland Arena and was scheduled to last from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am.
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Alan Freed promoted the concert on his radio show and sold over 10,000 tickets for $1.50 each;
however, due to a printing malfunction and counterfeit tickets more tickets were sold than
expected (Fong-Torres). On the night of the concert, over 30,000 youth showed up at the arena.
All 30,000-ticket holders tried to fit into the arena built to accommodate 10,000 (Altschuler 39).
After the first song concluded, the Cleveland Police and Fire Marshals shut down the concert for
a fire code violation. The youth rioted against the police and smashed the glass doors to the arena
in protest. Freed was ecstatic with the popularity and turnout for the concert and the next day
Freed announced he would put on another concert for ticket holders (Szatmary 39). The
Moondog Coronation Ball established Alan Freed as the creative mastermind and promoter of
not only the first Rock concert, but also of the first Rock n Roll riot.
After creating a name for himself in Cleveland, it was inevitable that Alan Freed would
seek out a national audience. On September 8, 1954, he signed a deal to join radio station WINS
and television station WABC in New York City. Soon after arriving in New York, he dropped
his Moondog nickname after a street character using the same name threatened a lawsuit
(Fong-Torres). Freed decided to promote his new genre and titled his new late night show the
Rock n Roll Party. In 1956, Freed also began to spread his Rock n Roll music
internationally by recording radio programs for the pirate radio station, Radio Luxembourg,
which could be heard in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands (Szatmary 45). Freeds
show became a huge hit in Europe and he was described in the 208 magazine program guide as,
"the remarkable American disc-jockey whose programs in the States cause excitement to the
fever pitch (N.A. 23). It was through Freeds half hour radio program called Jamboree, which
aired Saturday nights at 9:30 pm, that young British youth musicians, including members of the
Beatles and Rolling Stones, were first exposed to Elvis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry (Fong-
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Torres). Because of Freeds work in New York and the underground airing of his show
internationally, the early seeds for Rock n Roll music were sown throughout America and
Europe ensuring that rock music would survive and flourish no matter what trouble Freed
encountered.
Although Freed garnered huge success in Cleveland, New York and abroad, many people
challenged him and the new music he was promoting. Freed took it upon himself to defend his
new genre of music and his teenage fans who had come to adore his programs and concerts.
Community and church leaders called Rock music a communicable disease that resulted in
juvenile delinquency and violence (Altschuler 7). Freed was one of the first television hosts to
show interracial dancing on national broadcasting and promoted racial equality among his
listeners. For this, he was called a race-mixer and worse. The recording industrys establishment
feared his championing of the independent labels that dominated R&B, blues, and jazz music
(Fong-Torres). As Freed grew in popularity, he began to make powerful enemies. Soon, parent
groups, church leaders, and the press demanded that much of the obscene music be banned from
the radio. Freed often publicly defended his music and fans against the scorn of the media and
community through interviews and television appearances. In a People magazine interview from
1958, Freed defended rock by explaining that he saw his show as a deterrent to delinquency
because the show entertains them and gives them something to do after school (Behrman 23).
Freed pointed to the worlds situation, Hollywoods poor portrayal of Rock n Rollers and
that adults have to find a scapegoat for their own shortcomings and Rock n Roll seems to be it
to explain the hostility towards the new music genre (Behrman 20). However, Freed refused to
retreat from the pressure being imposed by radio executives, record labels, and community
leaders, many of whom called Freed the Pied Piper leading the youth to societys demise
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(Jackson 74). At the time it seemed as though nothing could stop Freed from promoting his
beloved Rock n Roll music.
Freed continued to defend his fans and instigate his opponents through concerts and radio
programs. Despite pressure from law enforcement agencies, he expanded his scope by creating
tours to dozens of cities with headliners like Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. One such
caravan arrived in Boston on May 3, 1958. Joe Smith, a popular DJ in Boston, promoted the
concert at the Boston Arena with Freed and described the evening by stating that there was a
little to-do afterwards, and Alan made a mistake. As a city, Smith described Boston as a very
jumpy town; very strict and Catholic and church-managed. Freed had angered many Bostonians
by simply bringing the show to their town. Smith and Freed hired extra police officers for
security. At some point the police panicked and said, You gotta turn the lights on, theyre
getting crazy here. When the lights came on Freed shouted, It looks like the police dont want
you to have a good time here. Come on, lets have a party. The crowd surged the stage and
Smith described it as kind of a messy evening. After the concert, fights broke out in the
subway and Freed wound up being indicted on charges of inciting to riot during a rock and roll
show (Fong-Torres). The rest of the tour was canceled and Freed returned to New York City
and more troubles.
In 1959, after defending Rock n Roll for years, Freed finally encountered a controversy
that he was unable to bend to his own ends. A federal investigation into the practice of payola,
a common practice where record labels would pay radio DJs to play their songs, was targeting
Freed and other popular disc jockeys (Fairchild). Even legendary disc jockey, Dick Clark,
notorious for conducting payola was the subject of an internal FBI investigation called Clark-
ola. However, since Dick Clark preferred white clean-cut, cover-version songs and avoided
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controversy he received very little scrutiny during the investigation (Jackson 103). Meanwhile,
Freeds controversial racial politics and outspoken history drew special attention. Freed refused
to sign an affidavit denying any involvement in payola and as a result was fired from WINS and
WABC New York (Fong-Torres). In hearings before Congress, Freed was turned into a
scapegoat, heavily fined, and forced off the air (Fairchild). The payola scandal broke Freeds
spirit. He was unable to find work and in 1960 moved to California. Sadly, he quickly slipped
into alcoholism and obscurity before he died of liver sclerosis in 1965 (Jackson 122). The payola
scandal destroyed Freeds career, however, it could not tarnish nor diminish his legacy as the
Father of Rock n Roll.
Over the years, Alan Freed has continued to be recognized for his visionary
understanding of music, his creativity, and his fearless defense of Rock music. In December 10,
1991, he received a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and on February, 26, 2002, Freed
was honored at the Grammy Awards with the Trustees Award, presented to people who have
made significant contributions to the field of recording (Fong-Torres). On January 23, 1986,
Alan Freed was part of the first class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was
inducted alongside fellow inaugural members Elvis, Little Richard, Fats Domino and Chuck
Berry all of whom Freed made famous through his broadcasts. In honor of where it all began,
Freeds ashes are enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio (Talevski).
Alan Freeds visionary understanding of music and the American teenager, his creativity
and his fearless defense of Rock make him the Father of Rock n Roll. Freeds early career in
Cleveland, his devoted promotion of early Rock music and his public humiliation during the
payola scandal all combined to establish him as the guiding force behind the evolution and
longevity of Rock n Roll. Freed was the first to tag the new musical genre as Rock n Roll,
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first to put on a Rock concert and suffer the ensuing first Rock riot, first to spread Rock music to
appeal to a diverse new audience and the first to promote the genre internationally. Alan Freed
may have modestly exclaimed, Let's face it - rock 'n' roll is bigger than all of us but history has
proven that his role in establishing Rock n Roll as a new musical genre is immeasurable.

Work Cited:
Altschuler, Glenn C. All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America. Oxford: Oxford UP,
2003. Print.
Behrman, Anita. "What Alan Freed Really Thinks About Rock 'n' Roll." People Oct. 1958: 20-
27. Web. 9 July 2014.
Fairchild, Charles. "Alan Freed Still Casts a Long Shadow: The Persistence of Payola and the
Ambiguous Value of Music." Academia.edu. N.p., 2012. Web. 09 July 2014.
Fong-Torres, Ben. "Biography." The Official Alan Freed Website. N.p., 2008. Web. 09 July
2014.
Jackson, John A. Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock & Roll. New York:
Schirmer, 1991. Print.
N.A., "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum." Alan Freed Biography. The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., 2014. Web. 09 July 2014.
N.A., "Rock 'N' Roll Beat." 208 Viewers Guide Magazine 1956: n. pag. Web. 9 July 2014.
Szatmary, David P. Rockin' in Time: A Social History of Rock-and-roll. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 2000. Print.
Talevski, Nick. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Alan Freed, Cleveland and the Origins of Rock
and Roll. N.p.: n.p., 1998. Print.