Editing Alan Freed

{{Short description|American disc jockey and rock-and-roll figure (1921–1965)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = 
| image              = Alan Freed disk jockey.jpg
| caption            = Freed, {{circa|1958}}
| birth_name         = Albert James Freed
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1921|12|15}}
| birth_place        = [[Windber, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1965|1|20|1921|12|15}}
| death_place        = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Lake View Cemetery]], [[Cleveland, Ohio]], U.S.
| occupation         = [[Disc jockey]]
| years_active       = 1945–1965
| spouse             = {{ubl|{{marriage|Betty Lou Bean|1943|1949|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Marjorie J. Hess|1950|1958|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Inga Lil Boling|1958<!--Don't put "his death" per template documentation-->}}}}
| children           = 4
| website            = 
}}

'''Albert James''' "'''Alan'''" '''Freed''' (December 15, 1921&nbsp;– January 20, 1965) was an American [[disc jockey]].<ref>Obituary ''[[Variety Obituaries|Variety]]'', January 27, 1965, page 54.</ref> He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of [[rock and roll]] music throughout North America, including popularizing the term "rock and roll".

In 1986, Freed was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. His "role in breaking down racial barriers in U.S. pop culture in the 1950s, by leading white and black kids to listen to the same music, put the radio personality 'at the vanguard' and made him 'a really important figure'", according to the executive director.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/03/showbiz/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-alan-freed/index.html |title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ousts DJ Alan Freed's ashes, adds Beyonce's leotards |date=August 4, 2014 |work=CNN |access-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>

==Early years==
Freed was born to a [[Welsh Americans|Welsh-American]] mother, Maude Palmer, and a [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russian Jewish]] immigrant father, Charles S. Freed, in [[Windber, Pennsylvania]]. The 1930 Federal Census has the Freeds living at 550 East Seventh Street in Salem, Ohio, with Charles listing his place of birth as Alsace-Lorraine and his language Lithuanian. Freed attended [[Salem High School (Ohio)|Salem High School]], graduating in 1940. While Freed was in high school, he formed a band called the Sultans of Swing in which he played the [[trombone]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Chad |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Alan Freed |url=https://walkoffame.com/alan-freed/ |access-date=September 6, 2022 |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref> Freed's initial ambition was to be a bandleader; however, an ear infection put an end to that dream.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alan Freed, the disc jockey known as "Moondog," was born 98 years ago today |url=https://www.beachamjournal.com/journal/2020/12/alan-freed-the-disc-jockey-known-as-moondog-was-born-98-years-ago-today.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |website=Frank Beacham's Journal}}</ref>

While attending [[Ohio State University]], Freed became interested in radio. Freed served in the US Army during World War II and worked as a DJ on Armed Forces Radio. Soon after [[World War II]], Freed landed broadcasting jobs at smaller radio stations, including [[WKST (AM)|WKST]] ([[New Castle, Pennsylvania]]); [[WKBN (AM)|WKBN]] ([[Youngstown, Ohio]]); and [[WAKR]] ([[Akron, Ohio]]), where, in 1945, he became a local favorite for playing [[Jazz#1920s and 1930s|hot jazz]] and [[pop music|pop]] recordings.

==Career==
Freed was the first radio disc jockey and concert producer who frequently played and promoted rock and roll; he popularized the phrase "rock and roll" on mainstream radio<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alan-Freed |title=Alan Freed |date=March 4, 2018 |encyclopedia=Britannica |access-date=February 3, 2021 |quote=Alan Freed did not coin the phrase rock and roll; however, by way of his radio show, he popularized it and redefined it. Once slang for sex, it came to mean a new form of music. This music had been around for several years, but…}}</ref> in the early 1950s. The term "rock and roll" already existed in the early 1940s, but it remained obscure.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} For example, one of the term's earliest uses was by a music critic and record reviewer for [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] named [[Maurie Orodenker]] (1908-1993). In the May 30, 1942 issue (page 25)  of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', in his review of the song "Rock Me" by [[Thomas A. Dorsey]] (1899-1993) (which song appeared on a record released in May 1942 by Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra with Rosetta Tharpe), Orodenker described the vocals of [[Sister Rosetta Tharpe]] as "rock-and-roll spiritual singing."

Several sources suggest that he first discovered the term (as a euphemism for sexual intercourse) on the record "[[Sixty Minute Man]]" by [[Billy Ward and his Dominoes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history-of-rock.com/freed.htm |title=Alan Freed |date=January 4, 2011 |work=History of Rock |access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/index.php/blog/395-ch-3-rockin-around-the-clock |title=Ch. 3 "Rockin' Around The Clock" |date=June 22, 2020 |work=Michigan Rock n Roll Legends |access-date=January 28, 2021 |quote=By the middle of the 20th century, the phrase "rocking and rolling" was slang for sex in the black community but Freed liked the sound of it and felt the words could be used differently.}}</ref> The lyrics include the line, "I rock 'em, roll 'em all night long",<ref>{{cite book |last=Ennis|first=Philip |date=May 9, 2012 |title=The History of American Pop |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwJ4pa36cYkC&q=alan+freed+rock+n+roll+60+minute+man+dominoes+%22I+rock+%27em%2C+roll+%27em+all+night+long%22.&pg=PA18 |publisher=Greenhaven Publishing LLC |page=18 |isbn=978-1420506723}}</ref> however, Freed did not accept that inspiration (or that meaning of the expression) in interviews, and explained his view of the term as follows: "Rock 'n roll is really swing with a modern name.  It began on the levees and plantations, took in folk songs, and features blues and rhythm".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alan-freed-dies/ |title=Alan Freed Dies |date=January 15, 2015 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref>

He helped bridge the gap of segregation among young teenage Americans, presenting music by black artists (rather than cover versions by white artists) on his radio program, and arranging live concerts attended by racially mixed audiences.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | last = Larkin | first = Colin | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Popular Music | title = Freed, Alan | edition = 4th}}</ref>  Freed appeared in several motion pictures as himself. In the 1956 film ''[[Rock, Rock, Rock (film)|Rock, Rock, Rock]]'', Freed tells the audience that "rock and roll is a river of music which has absorbed many streams: rhythm and blues, jazz, ragtime, cowboy songs, country songs, folk songs. All have contributed greatly to the big beat."<ref>James, p. 59.</ref>

===WAKR Akron===
In June 1945, Alan Freed joined [[WAKR]] (1590&nbsp;AM) in [[Akron, Ohio]], and quickly became a star announcer.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Price|first=Mark J.|date=November 14, 2016|title=Local history: Before they were stars, they were ours|url=https://www.beaconjournal.com/akron/lifestyle/local-history-before-they-were-stars-they-were-ours|access-date=February 8, 2020|website=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Black Press]]|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Dubbed "The Old Knucklehead",<ref>{{Cite news|last=Freed|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Freed|date=November 2, 1947|title=A Personal Message From Alan Freed (Advertisement)|page=11B|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Knight Ridder|Knight Newspapers]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6865821/freedletter11247/|access-date=February 9, 2020|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Freed had up to five hours of airtime every day on the station by June 1948:<ref name="WhitemanFreed">{{Cite news|date=June 30, 1948|title=Whiteman Off, Freed On Again|page=20|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Knight Ridder|Knight Newspapers]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43951341/whiteman_off_freed_on_again/|access-date=February 7, 2020|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> the daytime ''Jukebox Serenade'', the early-evening ''Wax Works'' and the nightly ''Request Review''.<ref name="Freed sings">{{Cite news|last=Offineer|first=Bee|date=January 16, 1946|title=Freed Sings And Fans Write|page=4|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Knight Ridder|Knight Newspapers]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43951427/freed_sings_and_fans_write/|access-date=January 28, 2020|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Offineer|first=Bee|date=July 23, 1947|title=Freed Premiers 'Wax Works'|page=7|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Knight Ridder|Knight Newspapers]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51909508/freed-premieres-wax-works/|access-date=May 22, 2020|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Freed also had brief run-ins with management and was at one point temporarily fired for violating studio rules<ref name="WAKR Firing">{{Cite news|last1=Stopher|first1=Robert H.|last2=Jackson|first2=James S.|date=February 8, 1948|title=Behind The Front Page: Miscellany|page=2B|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Knight Ridder|Knight Newspapers]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44504186/behind-the-front-page/|access-date=May 23, 2020|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> and failing to show up for work for several days in a row.<ref name="Freed Fame">{{Cite news|last=Dyer|first=Bob|date=October 14, 1990|title=Contract clause led to Freed's fame|pages=F1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43944973/ F6]|work=[[Akron Beacon Journal]]|publisher=[[Knight Ridder]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43896683/contract_clause_led_to_freeds_fame/|access-date=February 9, 2020|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

At the height of his popularity in 1948, Freed signed a contract extension with WAKR that included a [[non-compete clause]] inserted by owner S. Bernard Berk, preventing Freed from working at any station within a radius of {{Convert|75|miles|km|abbr=off|lk=on|sp=us}} of Akron for a full year.<ref name="Freed Fame" /> Freed left WAKR on February 12, 1950, and after one program on competing station [[WARF|WADC]] (1350&nbsp;AM) several days later, Berk and WAKR sued Freed to enforce the clause.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=February 25, 1950|title=Akron Jockey, WAKR Tangle|volume=62|page=16|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|The Billboard]]|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Company|issue=8|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1950/Billboard%201950-02-25.pdf|access-date=January 31, 2020|via=American Radio History}}</ref> Freed repeatedly lost in court, even after appealing his case to the [[Supreme Court of Ohio]];<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 4, 1950|title=Court Slaps Ban On Alan Freed In Jockey Fight|volume=62|page=20|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|The Billboard]]|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Company|issue=9|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1950/Billboard%201950-03-04.pdf|access-date=January 31, 2020|via=American Radio History}}</ref> Berk's successful implementation of the non-compete is now recognized within the industry as a model for broadcasters regarding on-air talent contracts.<ref name="Freed Fame" />

===WJW Cleveland===
In the late 1940s, while working at WAKR, Freed met [[Cleveland]] record store owner [[Leo Mintz]]. Record Rendezvous, one of Cleveland's largest record stores, had begun selling rhythm and blues records. Mintz told Freed that he had noticed increased interest in the records at his store, and encouraged him to play them on the radio.<ref name=clevelandhistory>{{cite web|url=http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=RR|title=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Rock'n'Roll|website=Ech.cwru.edu|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>Jackson, p. 35.</ref>
In 1951, having already joined [[television station]] [[WJW (TV)|WXEL]] (channel&nbsp;9, now WJW channel 8) in the middle of 1950 as an announcer, Freed moved to Cleveland, which at {{Convert|39|mi}} from Akron was within the range of the still in force non-compete clause.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Denny|first=Frank|date=September 30, 1950|title=D. J.s must change for TV, says Freed|page=3|work=TV Today|url=http://www.alanfreed.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/016-DJs-Must-Change-1950.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=January 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128001749/http://www.alanfreed.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/016-DJs-Must-Change-1950.pdf|archive-date=January 28, 2020|via=AlanFreed.com}}</ref> However, in April, through the help of William Shipley, RCA's Northern Ohio distributor, he was released from the non-compete clause. He was then hired by WJW radio for a midnight program sponsored by Main Line, the RCA Distributor, and Record Rendezvous. Freed peppered his speech with hipster language, and, with a rhythm and blues record called "Moondog" as his theme song, broadcast R&B hits into the night.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Mintz proposed buying airtime on Cleveland radio station [[WKNR#WJW (AM)|WJW]] (850&nbsp;AM), which would be devoted entirely to R&B recordings, with Freed as host.<ref name="clevelandhistory" /> On July 11, 1951, Freed began playing rhythm and blues records on WJW.<ref name="miller">Miller, pp. 57–61.</ref> While R&B records were played for many years on lower-powered, inner city radio stations aimed at African-Americans, this is arguably the first time that authentic R&B was featured regularly on a major, mass audience station. Freed called his show "The Moondog House" and billed himself as "The King of the Moondoggers". He had been inspired by an instrumental piece called "Moondog Symphony" that had been recorded by New York-based composer and street musician Louis T. Hardin, known professionally as [[Moondog]]. Freed adopted the record as his show's theme music. His on-air manner was energetic, in contrast to many contemporary radio presenters of [[traditional pop|traditional pop music]], who tended to sound more subdued and low-key in manner. He addressed his listeners as if they were all part of a make-believe kingdom of hipsters, united in their love for black music.<ref name="miller" />  He also began popularizing the phrase "[[rock and roll]]" to describe the music he played.<ref>Bordowitz, p. 63.</ref>
[[Image:Moondog poster.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Concert poster for the Coronation Ball]]
Later that year, Freed promoted dances and concerts featuring the music he was playing on the radio. He was one of the organizers of a five-act show called "[[Moondog Coronation Ball|The Moondog Coronation Ball]]" on March 21, 1952, at the [[Cleveland Arena]].<ref name = "BBCFreed">{{cite web| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17440514| title = How the world's first rock concert ended in chaos| author = Sheerin, Jude| date = March 21, 2012| access-date = March 12, 2014| work = BBC News}}</ref> This event is now considered to have been the first major rock and roll concert.<ref name="auto2"/> Crowds attended in numbers far beyond the arena's capacity, and the concert was shut down early due to overcrowding and a near-riot.<ref name = "BBCFreed"/> Freed gained notoriety from the incident. WJW immediately increased the airtime allotted to Freed's program, and his popularity soared.<ref name=miller/>

In those days, Cleveland was considered by the music industry to be a "breakout" city, where national trends first appeared in a regional market. Freed's popularity made the pop music business take notice. Soon, tapes of Freed's program, ''Moondog'', began to air in the New York City area over station WNJR&nbsp;1430 (now [[WNSW]]), in Newark, New Jersey.<ref name=miller/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/2011/01/moondog_alan_freed_dead_at_43.html|title='Moondog' Alan Freed dead at 43: Life Stories Revisited|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=January 20, 2011|website=Cleveland Plain Dealer}}</ref>

===New York stations===
In July 1954, following his success on the air in Cleveland, Freed moved to [[WINS (AM)|WINS]] (1010&nbsp;AM) in [[New York City]]. Hardin, the original Moondog, later took a court action suit against WINS for damages against Freed for infringement in 1956, arguing prior claim to the name "Moondog", under which he had been composing since 1947. Hardin collected a $6,000 judgment from Freed, as well as an agreement to give up further usage of the name Moondog.<ref>Scotto, Robert (2007). ''Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography'' Process Music edition {{ISBN|0-9760822-8-4|978-0-9760822-8-6}} (Preface by Philip Glass)</ref> Freed left the station in May 1958 "after a riot at a dance in Boston featuring Jerry Lee Lewis".<ref name="auto4">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/freed-alan |title=Freed, Alan |date=December 2, 2017 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> WINS eventually became an around-the-clock Top 40 rock and roll radio station, and would remain so until April 19, 1965, long after Freed left and three months after he had died—when it became an all-news outlet.

Earlier, in 1956, Freed had hosted "The Camel Rock and Roll Dance Party", so named for the sponsor Camel cigarettes. The half hour program headlined Count Basie and his Orchestra and later [[Sam Taylor (saxophonist)|Sam The Man Taylor]] and His Orchestra, and featured weekly rock n roll guests such as [[LaVern Baker]], [[Clyde McPhatter]] and [[Frankie Lymon]] and [[the Teenagers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.otrsite.com/logs/loga1160.htm|title=Alan Freed's Rock 'N' Roll Dance Party .. Episodic log}}</ref> The radio program was also referred to as "Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qddF4jLVkg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0qddF4jLVkg| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=The Alan Freed Collection 1956 (LP Side 1)|date=February 8, 2017 |publisher=Youtube|access-date=August 7, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> on [[CBS Radio]] from New York.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=series&genre=OTR-Variety&series=Alan+Freeds+Rock+N+Roll+Dance+Party|title=RadioEchoes.com|website=Radioechoes.com|access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhino.com/article/rhino-factoids-alan-freeds-rock-n-roll-dance-party|title=Rhino Factoids: Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party &#124; Rhino|website=Rhino.com|access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>

Freed also worked at [[WABC (AM)]] starting in May 1958 but was fired from that station on November 21, 1959,<ref name="auto3">Curtis, p. 37.</ref> after refusing to sign a statement for the FCC that he had never accepted [[payola|payola bribes]].<ref name="auto4"/>

He subsequently arrived at a small Los Angeles station, [[KBLA|KDAY]] (1580 AM) and worked there for about one year.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/23/radio-how-a-disgraced-dj-made-his-way-to-southern-california-airwaves/ |title=Radio: How a disgraced DJ made his way to KDAY |date=December 23, 2019 |work=LA Daily News |access-date=February 4, 2021 |quote=Small. Daytime-only at the time. Though it did have [[Art Laboe]] and 50,000 watts, so it wasn't all bad.}}</ref>

===Film and television===
Freed also appeared in a number of pioneering rock and roll motion pictures during this period. These [[jukebox musicals]] were often welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm by teenagers because they brought visual depictions of their favorite American acts to the big screen, years before music videos would present the same sort of image on the small television screen.

Freed appeared in several motion pictures that presented many of the big musical acts of his day, including:
* 1956: ''[[Rock Around the Clock (film)|Rock Around the Clock]]'' featuring Freed, [[Bill Haley & His Comets]], [[The Platters]], [[Freddie Bell and the Bellboys]], [[Lisa Gaye]].
* 1956: ''[[Rock, Rock, Rock (film)|Rock, Rock, Rock]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbPEzjX8Htg|title=Alan Freed and His Rock and Roll Band – Rock and Roll Boogie (from the movie Rock Rock Rock – 1956)|access-date=May 31, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> featuring Freed, [[Teddy Randazzo]], [[Tuesday Weld]], [[Chuck Berry]], [[Frankie Lymon]] and the Teenagers, [[Johnny Burnette]], [[LaVern Baker]], [[The Flamingos]], [[The Moonglows]].
* 1957: ''[[Mister Rock and Roll (film)|Mister Rock and Roll]]'' featuring Freed, [[Rocky Graziano]] and Teddy Randazzo, [[Lionel Hampton]], [[Ferlin Husky]], [[Frankie Lymon]], [[Little Richard]], [[Brook Benton]], Chuck Berry, [[Clyde McPhatter]], [[LaVern Baker]], [[Screamin' Jay Hawkins]].
* 1957: ''[[Don't Knock the Rock]]'' featuring Freed, Bill Haley and His Comets, [[Alan Dale (singer)|Alan Dale]], [[Little Richard]] and [[The Upsetters (American band)|the Upsetters]], [[The Treniers]], Dave Appell and His Applejacks.
* 1959: ''[[Go, Johnny Go!]]'' featuring Freed, [[Jimmy Clanton]], Chuck Berry, [[Ritchie Valens]], [[Eddie Cochran]], [[The Flamingos]], [[Jackie Wilson]], [[The Cadillacs]], [[Sandy Stewart (singer)|Sandy Stewart]], [[Jo Ann Campbell]], [[Harvey Fuqua]] and [[The Moonglows]]. Chuck Berry also played Freed's pal and sidekick, a groundbreaking role in those days.

Freed was given a weekly primetime TV series, ''[[The Big Beat (TV program)|The Big Beat]]'', which premiered on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on July 12, 1957.<ref>Brooks & Marsh, p. 136.</ref> The show was scheduled for a summer run, with the understanding that if there were enough viewers, it would continue into the 1957–58 television season. Although the ratings for the show were strong, it was suddenly terminated. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' summarized the end of the program as follows. "Four episodes into ''The Big Beat'', Freed's prime-time TV music series on ABC, an uproar was caused when African-American artist [[Frankie Lymon]] was seen on TV dancing with a white audience member". Two more episodes were aired<ref>{{cite book |last=Sagolla |first=Lisa Jo |date=September 12, 2011 |title=Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yRhBf_6L8B8C&q=Alan+Freed%27s+TV+show+the+big+beat+abc++July+12%2C+1957&pg=PA74 |publisher=Performing Arts |page=74 |isbn=978-0313365560}}</ref> but the show was suddenly cancelled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/moondogs-final-sign-off-on-alan-reed-1421710119 |title=Moondog's Final Sign Off |date=January 20, 2021 |work=WSJ |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> Some sources indicate that the cancellation was triggered by an uproar among ABC's local affiliates in [[Southern United States|the South]].<ref>Jackson, p. 168.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17440514 |title=How the world's first rock concert ended in chaos |date=March 21, 2012 |work=BBC News |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref>

During this period, Freed was seen on other popular programs of the day, including ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'', where he is seen defending the new "rock and roll" sound to the panelists, who were all clearly more comfortable with swing music: [[Polly Bergen]], [[Ralph Bellamy]], [[Hy Gardner]] and [[Kitty Carlisle]].

===Legal trouble, payola scandal===

In 1958, Freed faced controversy in Boston when he told the audience, "It looks like the Boston police don't want you to have a good time."  As a result, Freed was arrested and charged with inciting to riot, and was fired from his job at WINS.<ref>Guralnick, p. 235.</ref>

Freed's career was significantly affected when it was shown that he had accepted [[payola]] (payments from record companies to play specific records), a practice that was highly controversial at the time. He initially denied taking payola<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/22/archives/alan-freed-is-out-in-payola-study-disk-jockey-refuses-to-sign-wabc.html |title=ALAN FREED IS OUT IN 'PAYOLA' STUDY; Disk Jockey Refuses to Sign WABC Denial on Principle – Says He Took No Bribes |date=November 22, 1959 |work=New York Times |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> but later admitted to his fans that he had accepted bribes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Alan_Freed |title=Alan Freed |date=March 17, 1964 |work=Ohio Central History |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> Freed refused to sign a statement for the FCC while working at [[WABC (AM)]] to state that he never received bribes.<ref name="auto4"/> That led to his termination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/23/radio-how-a-disgraced-dj-made-his-way-to-southern-california-airwaves/ |title=Radio: How a disgraced DJ made his way to KDAY |date=December 23, 2019 |work=LA Daily News |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/>

In 1960, payola was made illegal. In December 1962, after being charged on multiple counts of [[commercial bribery]], Freed pleaded guilty to two counts of commercial bribery and was fined three hundred dollars and given a suspended sentence.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/AlanFreed1.html#:~:text=Freed%20was%20eventually%20charged%20with,as%20a%20DJ%20was%20over. |title=Alan Freed |date=June 10, 2016 |work=Rockabilly Hall of Fame |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615090525/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/alanfreed1.html#:~:text=Freed%20was%20eventually%20charged%20with,as%20a%20DJ%20was%20over. |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historyandheadlines.com/november-21-1959-alan-freed-originator-term-rock-roll-fired/ |title=November 21, 1959: Alan Freed, Originator of the Term "Rock and Roll" is Fired from His Job as a DJ! |date=November 21, 2014 |work=History and Headline |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref>

There was also a series of [[conflict of interest]] allegations, that he had taken songwriting co-credits that he did not deserve.<ref name="auto2"/> The most notable example was [[Chuck Berry]]'s "[[Maybellene]]". Taking partial credit allowed him to receive part of a song's royalties, which he could help increase by heavily promoting the record on his own program. Berry was eventually able to regain the writing credit. 

[[The Flamingos]] also claimed that Freed had wrongly taken writing credit for some of their songs. In another example, however, Harvey Fuqua of [[The Moonglows]] insisted Freed's name was not merely a credit on the song "[[Sincerely (song)|Sincerely]]" and that he did actually co-write it, although other band members disagreed. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/14/arts/the-man-who-knew-it-wasn-t-only-rock-n-roll.html |title=Alan Freed |date=October 14, 1999 |work=New York Times |access-date=February 4, 2021 |quote=Mr. Jackson, who wrote the Freed biography, said that two members of the virtuoso group the Moonglows told him that Mr. Freed had no involvement with their big hit ''Sincerely'' yet took a writing credit for it and received the royalties. Maybellene .... Mr. Berry went to court eventually and succeeded in having Mr. Freed's name removed as co-writer.}}</ref>

In 1964 Freed was indicted by a federal grand jury for [[tax evasion]] and ordered to pay $37,920 in taxes on income he had allegedly not reported. Most of that income was said to be from payola sources.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/17/archives/freed-exdisk-jockey-indicted-in-37920-us-tax-evasion-failure-to.html |title=Alan Freed |date=March 17, 1964 |work=New York Times |access-date=February 3, 2021}}</ref>

==Later years and death==
[[File:Alan Freed- Lake View Cemetery - 2016 (2).jpg|thumb|right|Freed's gravestone in Cleveland]]

Because of the negative publicity from the payola scandal, no prestigious station would employ Freed, and he moved to the West Coast in 1960, where he worked at [[KDAY]]/1580 in [[Santa Monica, California]].<ref name="auto1"/> In 1962, after KDAY refused to allow him to promote "rock and roll" stage shows, Freed moved to [[WQAM]] in [[Miami]], Florida, arriving in August 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/08/29/archives/alan-freed-to-play-disks-on-miami-station-wqam.html |title=Alan Freed to Play Disks On Miami Station WQAM |date=August 29, 1962 |work=New York Times |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> Recognizing that his career in major markets might be over, he drank heavily and the job lasted only two months.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/alanfreed1.html |title=Alan Freed |date=September 27, 1991 |work=Rockabilly Hall of Fame |access-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-date=June 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615090525/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/alanfreed1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During 1964, he returned to the [[Los Angeles]] area for a short stint at the Long Beach station [[KNOB (defunct)|KNOB]]/97.9.<ref>[http://www.laradio.com/wheref.htm Los Angeles Radio People, Where are They Now?&nbsp;– F], retrieved March 6, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.alanfreed.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/096-Death-Certifct-1-20-65.pdf AlanFreed.Com: death certificate], Alanfreed.com, retrieved March 6, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reelradio.com/mh/afkday60.html |title=Alan Freed |date=November 27, 1991 |work=Reel Radio |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref>

Living in the Racquet Club Estates neighborhood of [[Palm Springs, California#Neighborhoods|Palm Springs, California]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Meeks|first1=Eric G.|title=The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes|date=2014|orig-year=2012|publisher=Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe|isbn=978-1479328598|pages=41–43}}</ref> Freed died on January 20, 1965, from [[uremia]] and [[cirrhosis]] brought on by [[alcoholism]], at the age of 43. Prior to his death, the Internal Revenue Service had continued to maintain that he owed $38,000 for tax evasion, but Freed did not have the financial means to pay that amount.<ref name="auto"/>

His body was cremated and his ashes were initially interred in the [[Ferncliff Cemetery]] in [[Hartsdale, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2016/02/alan_freeds_ashes_evicted_from.html|title=Alan Freed's ashes, evicted from Rock Hall, have a final resting place of prominence in Cleveland|first1=James F.|last1=McCarty|first2=The Plain|last2=Dealer|date=March 1, 2016|website=cleveland}}</ref> In March 2002, Judith Fisher Freed, his daughter-in-law, carried his ashes to the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref>Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). ''Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories''. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. {{ISBN|978-1-59851-025-6}}</ref> On August 1, 2014, the Hall of Fame asked Alan Freed's son, Lance Freed, to remove the ashes permanently, which he did.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/03/showbiz/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-alan-freed/index.html|title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to remove Alan Freed's ashes|author=Alan Duke|date=August 3, 2014|work=CNN|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> The Freed family later interred his ashes at Cleveland's [[Lake View Cemetery]] beneath a jukebox-shaped memorial featuring Freed's image.<ref>{{cite news|last=Feran|first=Tom|title=Alan Freed, 'father of rock,' gets a memorial in stone|work=The Plain Dealer|date=May 8, 2016|access-date=January 1, 2020|url=https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2016/05/alan_freed_father_of_rock.html}}</ref>

==Personal life==
On August 22, 1943, Freed married his first wife Betty Lou Bean. They had two children, daughter Alana and son Lance, and divorced on December 2, 1949. On August 12, 1950, Freed married Marjorie J. Hess, with whom he had two children, daughter Sieglinde and son Alan Freed, Jr. They divorced on July 25, 1958. On August 8, 1958, Freed married Inga Lil Boling. They remained together until his death.<ref>Jackson, p. 214.</ref>

==In popular culture==
An archived sample of Freed's introduction on the Moondog Show was used by [[Ian Hunter (singer)|Ian Hunter]] in the opening of the song "[[Cleveland Rocks]]", from Hunter's 1979 album ''[[You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic]]''.

The 1978 motion picture ''[[American Hot Wax]]'' was inspired by Freed's contribution to the rock and roll scene. Although director [[Floyd Mutrux]] created a fictionalized account of Freed's last days in New York radio by using real-life elements outside of their actual chronology, the film does accurately convey the fond relationship between Freed, the musicians he promoted, and the audiences who listened to them. The film starred [[Tim McIntire]] as Freed and included cameo appearances by [[Chuck Berry]], [[Screamin' Jay Hawkins]], [[Frankie Ford]] and [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], performing in the recording studio and concert sequences.
Freed was honored with a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1991. The organization's website posted this note: "He became internationally known for promoting African-American [[rhythm and blues]] music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://walkoffame.com/alan-freed/ |title=ALAN FREED |date=May 27, 1991 |work=Walk of Fame |access-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>

In the early 1960s, Freed's career was destroyed by the [[payola]] scandal that hit the broadcasting industry, as well as by allegations of taking credit for songs he did not write<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/05/son-dj-alan-freed-hall-of-fame-no-longer-want-ashes |title=Son of DJ Alan Freed says Rock Hall of Fame no longer want his cremated remains |date=August 5, 2014 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> and by his chronic [[alcoholism]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/14/arts/the-man-who-knew-it-wasn-t-only-rock-n-roll.html|title=The Man Who Knew It Wasn't Only Rock 'n' Roll |date=October 14, 1999 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 3, 2021 |quote=He began drinking heavily ... he was accused of taking lucrative songwriting credits for songs that were actually written by members of the young groups he championed. }}</ref>

On January 23, 1986, Freed was part of the first group inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in Cleveland.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/alan-freed |title=Alan Freed – 1986 – Category:Non-Performer|date=2017 |publisher=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=January 5, 2017 }}</ref> In 1988, he was also posthumously inducted into the [[National Radio Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.radiohof.org/alan_freed.htm |title=Alan Freed |date=2017 |publisher=National Radio Hall Of Fame |access-date=January 5, 2017 |archive-date=January 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102072936/http://www.radiohof.org/alan_freed.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> On December 10, 1991, Freed was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.walkoffame.com/alan-freed |title=Alan Freed |date=2017 |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |work=Walkoffame.com |access-date=January 5, 2017 }}</ref> The [[VH1]] series ''[[Behind The Music]]'' produced an episode on Freed featuring [[Roger Steffens]]. In 1998, The Official Website of Alan Freed went online with the jumpstart from [[Brian Levant]] and [[Michael Ochs]] archives as well as a home page biography written by [[Ben Fong-Torres]]. On February 26, 2002, Freed was honored at the [[Grammy Awards]] with the Trustees Award. In 2017 he was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in Detroit, Michigan.

Freed was used as a character in [[Stephen King]]'s short story "[[You Know They Got a Hell of a Band]]",<ref name=Danesi>Danesi, p. 121.</ref> and was portrayed by Mitchell Butel in its television adaptation for the ''[[Nightmares & Dreamscapes (TV Series)|Nightmares & Dreamscapes]]'' mini-series.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} He was the subject of a 1999 television movie, ''[[Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story]]'', starring [[Judd Nelson]] and directed by [[Andy Wolk]].<ref>{{Cite news |author=Weinraub, Bernard |author-link=Bernard Weinraub |title=The Man Who Knew It Wasn't Only Rock 'n' Roll|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/14/arts/the-man-who-knew-it-wasn-t-only-rock-n-roll.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 14, 1999 |access-date=January 5, 2017 }}</ref> The 1997 film ''[[Telling Lies in America]]'' stars [[Kevin Bacon]] as a disc jockey with a loose resemblance to Freed.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Holden, Stephen|author-link=Stephen Holden|title=60's Payola Is His First Taste of America|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501E4DB173CF93AA35753C1A961958260|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 9, 1997 |access-date=January 5, 2017 }}</ref> [[Jack McBrayer]] portrayed Freed on the [[Comedy Central]] show [[Drunk History]] in a segment on Freed's legacy. The [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]' mascot [[Moondog (mascot)|Moondog]] is named in honor of Freed.<ref name=Danesi/>

Freed is mentioned in [[The Ramones]]' song "[[Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?]]" as one of the band's idols.<ref name=Danesi/> Other songs that reference Freed include "The King of Rock 'n Roll" by [[Terry Cashman]] and [[Tommy West (producer)|Tommy West]], "Ballrooms of Mars" by [[Marc Bolan]], "They Used to Call it Dope" by [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]], "Payola Blues" by [[Neil Young]], "Done Too Soon" by [[Neil Diamond]], "The Ballad of Dick Clark" by [[Skip Battin]], a member of [[the Byrds]], and "This Is Not Goodbye, Just Goodnight" by [[Kill Your Idols]].

The 2023 [[off-Broadway]] musical ''Rock & Roll Man'' follows Freed's rise and influence in radio using various songs that he played on the radio. [[Constantine Maroulis]] played Freed.

In 2024, [[RiffTrax]] produced and published a humorous commentary for the 1956 musical drama film ''[[Rock, Rock, Rock!]]'', in which Freed appeared on as a show presenter. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rifftrax.com/rock-rock-rock | title=Rock Rock Rock | date=June 28, 2024 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Freed's importance to the musical genre is confirmed by his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his 1991 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The DJ was also inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988. The organization'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".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiohalloffame.com/alan-freed |title=ALAN FREED |date=January 20, 1989 |work=Radio Hall of Fame |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref>

''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' in 2015 recalled "Freed's sizable contributions to rock 'n' roll and to teenagers' more tolerant view of integration in the 1950s". The publication praised the help he gave to "hundreds of black and white artists" and said that "his tireless efforts helped create thousands of jobs for studio musicians, engineers, record producers, concert promoters and instrument manufacturers".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/moondogs-final-sign-off-on-alan-reed-1421710119 |title=Moondog's Final Sign Off |date=January 19, 2015 |work=WSJ |access-date=February 3, 2020}}</ref>

One source said that "No man had as much influence on the coming culture of our society in such a short period of time as Alan Freed, the real King of Rock n Roll".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://seniorslifestylemag.com/lifestyle/stories/alan-freed-more-than-just-the-man-who-named-rock-n-roll/ |title=Alan Freed: More Than Just The Man Who Named Rock N Roll |date=February 7, 2019 |work=Seniors' Lifestyle |access-date=February 3, 2021}}</ref> Another source summarized his contribution as follows:<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/freed-alan-moondog-1921-1965 |title=Freed, Alan 'Moondog' (1921–1965) |date=January 11, 2019 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=February 3, 2021}}</ref>

<blockquote>Alan Freed has secured a place in American music history as the first important rock 'n' roll disc jockey. His ability to tap into and promote the emerging black musical styles of the 1950s to a white mainstream audience is seen as a vital step in rock's increasing dominance over American culture.</blockquote>

The board of directors of the [[National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame]] inducted Alan Freed into the class of 2017.

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited bibliography ===
* {{Cite book |last=Bordowitz|first=Hank|title=Turning Points in Rock and Roll|year=2004|publisher=Citadel Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8065-2631-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/turningpointsinr0000bord}}
* {{Cite book |author1-first=Tim |author1-last=Brooks |author1-link=Tim Brooks (television historian) |author2-first=Earle F. |author2-last=Marsh |year=2009 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0307483201 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Curtis |first=James M.|title=Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society, 1954–1984|url=https://archive.org/details/rockerasinterpre00curt|url-access=registration |access-date=November 20, 2011|date=1987|publisher=Popular Press|isbn=978-0-87972-369-9 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Danesi |first=Marcel |author-link=Marcel Danesi |year=2016 |title=Concise Dictionary of Popular Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=61mBDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA121 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1442253124 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Guralnick|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Guralnick|title=Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke|year=2005|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|isbn=0-316-37794-5|url=https://archive.org/details/dreamboogietrium00gura}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=John A. |year=1991 |title=Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock & Roll |url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_v2m4 |publisher=Schirmer |isbn=0-02-871155-6 }}
* {{Cite book |last=James |first=David E. |year=2015 |title=Rock 'N' Film: Cinema's Dance with Popular Music |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0199387625 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Miller |first=James |year=1999 |title=Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947–1977 |url=https://archive.org/details/flowersindustbin00mill |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-684-80873-0 }}

==Further reading==
* Dawson, Jim (2005) [1989]. ''Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution''. Backbeat Books/[[Hal Leonard]]. {{ISBN|0-87930-829-X}}.
* Smith, Wes (Robert Weston). ''The Pied Pipers of Rock and Roll: Radio Deejays of the 50s and 60s''. Longstreet Press. {{ISBN|0-929264-69-X}}.
* Wolff, Carlo (2006). ''Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories''. Cleveland: Gray & Company, Publishers. {{ISBN|978-1-886228-99-3}}.

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{Official website|http://www.alanfreed.com/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141210122633/http://www.jonnieking.net/gpage38.html The Alan Freed Tribute Page]
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0293097 Alan Freed] [[IMDb]]
*https://catalog.afi.com/Person/8764-Alan-Freed

'''Mr. Rock 'n Roll'''
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050711 Mister Rock and Roll (1957)] [[IMDb]]
*  https://catalog.afi.com/Film/52285-MISTER-ROCKANDROLL
* [http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38168/mr-rock-n-roll-the-alan-freed-story/ DVD review of Mr. Rock 'n Roll]

{{1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freed, Alan}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American musicians]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in California]]
[[Category:American radio DJs]]
[[Category:American people convicted of bribery]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland]]
[[Category:Deaths from cirrhosis]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Ohio]]
[[Category:Ohio State University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:People from Salem, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Windber, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from New York City]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]