Skip to main content

December 15: Happy Birthday, Alan Freed!

December 15: Happy Birthday, Alan Freed!


Chuck Berry sang it, Jerry Lee Lewis sang it...and Alan Freed “penned” it. “It” being rock-n-roll and Alan Freed was the Disc Jockey to bring the famous label to the forefront of America by mixing the radio airwaves with country, blues and jazz.

Born in 1921, Alan Freed stepped over the line to attract the attention of America's youth and to see them as the hot demographic to pitch his music discovery towards. Freed wanted to be a bandleader, but when an ear infection destroyed that dream, the trombone player from Ohio focused in on radio. It was in his capacity as a disc jockey at various radio stations that Freed developed his appreciation for music and to bring to life the rich blends he was discovering and make it appreciated by the teenagers, then filtered to older folks. By 1958, Alan Freed would become embroiled in a scandal in the music business known as payola. major record companies would pay disc jockeys to play certain records, thus showing a favoritism over other performers. Alan Freed ended up being the most notable of the airwave kings to come under criminal prosecution. It was felt by many that he became the scapegoat for the industry because he catered to a huge black population, and racial tensions were beginning to rise at this time. Alan Freed never had the popularity he once held and his last couple of radio stations placed heavy restrictions upon his style. Alan Freed died in 1965 at the age of 43.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

1946 Great Crepitation Fart Contest

Not for the faint of heart, here is the remarkable 1946 Crepitation (Fart) Contest (part of the 1946 News Broadcasts Collection ). You'll enjoy the fart-off between champion Englishman Lord Windsmear, and  challenger, Australian Paul Boomer who had stowed aboard a cabbage freighter. The hilarious comedy recording was apparently created a spoof by two Canadian radio sportscasters in 1946, but this 15 minute recording definitely has some gems in it.  Apparently they made several copies, but it was not for distribution. The recording was copied again and again on disc and reel to reel tape. It was distributed underground and played in dark rooms and back alleys around the world. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element This recording is available with many other delightful treats on Random Rarities #7 available on   MP3 CD ,  Audio CD , and  instant download .

January 27, 1948: Wire Recording introduced the 'Wireway'

  January 27, 1948: The first magnetic tape recorder was introduced by Wire Recording Corporation of America.  ‘Wire Way,’ as it was called, had an integrated oscillator and was sold for $149.50 at the time.

December 25, 1942: 'Victory Parade's Christmas Party of Spotlight Bands' Hit The Airwaves

  December 25, 1942: All day long, Coca-Cola sponsored Victory Parade's Christmas Party of Spotlight Band s, transmitted on NBC Blue Network. The long-winded broadcast was picked up by more than 142 radio networks. In an attempt to make itself a network to reckon with, the NBC Blue Network collaborated with Coca-Cola Company to broadcast Victory Parade's Christmas Party of Spotlight Bands . The show was an unusual one in that it was broadcast throughout the entire day, making it the longest broadcast of a commercially-sponsored program on the radio. The marathon broadcast was aired over more than 142 radio networks.