60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
1/20/65 – Legendary Disc Jockey Alan Freed dies of uremic poisoning and cirrhosis, brought on by alcoholism ... he was only 42.
Although all kinds of proof exists proving otherwise, Freed has always been credited with coining the term “rock and roll” as it pertains to music and he ruled the airwaves at the dawn of the rock and roll era, helping to promote it by also playing a heavy dose of rhythm and blues (or race) music at the time, introducig the genre to white teenage America. He also appeared in several movies promoting the new sound. He was able to ride that roller coaster until the payola scandal hit … and then he was pretty much finished in the business.
There is no way to over-sell or exaggerate Alan Freed's contribution to the advancement of rock and roll.
While it has been widely reported that it was Freed who coined the phrase "rock and roll," evidence now suggests that it had been in existence for quite a while in the black community prior to him using it to describe the new music he was playing. Although this is most likely true (rockin' and rollin' was apparently a black euphemism for having sex), there is no doubt that Freed popularized the term as it spread from coast to coast ... and became the accepted genre for this new beat of music that was capturing the hearts and spirit of teenagers all over the country. This was THEIR music ... and record sales immediately shifted from the parents to the teenagers in terms of the total volume sold. Record companies immediately began targeting this new, previously untapped market.
First reaching fame in Cleveland by playing music by "race artists" on his popular radio show as early as 1951, Freed introduced a whole new audience to the original, authentic version of songs currently being covered by white artists, usually in whitewashed, "safer" versions of these tunes that were making the pop charts while the originals were delegated to the R&B charts.
Freed turned that around, giving these artists their due ... and suddenly White America was discovering the true origins of this music thru artists like Fats Domino, Little Richard, The Chords and more. By the mid-'50's, these records were charting side-by-side ... and often eclipsing the "cover versions" that previously ruled the airwaves in White America.
Freed became as popular as many of the artists he was playing, adopting the moniker "Moondog" as a way of describing both his radio program and the dances he was promoting.
It is said that Rock And Roll Music began in Cleveland, with Freed leading the charge, and this is why it was so important for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to be situated there.
But as his popularity grew, Freed moved to New York, where he became an even bigger radio personality. Soon he had his own TV show ("The Big Beat") and was putting on all kinds of package rock and roll shows, spotlighting more of these black artists. Next came the movies, all with throw-away plots, designed simply to showcase the music. In all cases, he made it a point to feature the music of black artists and white artists side-by-side, marketing this racial and musical harmony to teenage America.
He died on this date in 1965, probably better known as a disgraced outcast than as an innovator. This reputation would change over time ... and in 1986, he was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for his indelible contribution to the advancement ... and acceptance ... of rock and roll music. (He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... and was inducted into The Radio Hall Of Fame in 1988.)
In fact, The Radio Hall of Fame's web page states that "despite his personal tragedies, Freed’s innovations helped make rock and roll and the Top-40 format permanent fixtures of radio."
That he did. (kk)
