Alan Freed

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  • Year:
    1986
  • Inducted by:
    Scott Muni & Norm Nite
  • Category:
    Ahmet Ertegun Award
alan_freed

Introduction

The boundary-smashing, trend-setting evangelist of rock and roll.

From popularizing the R&B records that became the foundation of rock to planning the first rock and roll concert, Alan Freed was the tireless promoter of the genre.

Hall of Fame Essay

1986

Michael Hill

Alan Freed was the most effective proselytizer rock and roll has ever known. Spreading the word from a radio pulpit  that kicked off nightly to the strains of Freddie Mitchell’s “Moondog Boogie,” Freed kept time to the music by smashing his hand on a telephone book. He first conquered Cleve­land over WJW, and then moved his show to New  York’s flagship WINS.

Alan not only spun the music; he wrote it, promoted it, starred in its early movies and became one of its first scapegoats. He dis­covered the Moonglows and helped bring countless other performers to prominence. 

The Program Cover from the 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
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'Rock & roll' seemed to suggest the rolling, surging beat of the music
Alan Freed

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Collection

Third Anniversary Show

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Gallery