Emily Backus
4/17/13
Disc Jockeys and the Rock N’ Roll Revolution
As television became the leading media force in American culture at the start of the
1950’s, the immensity of radio audiences saw a dramatic decrease. As a result, advertisement
agencies, record labels, and radio stations searched for a way to regain their lost audience.
Radio’s plummeting listenership forced stations to widen programming to attract and
revitalize their audience. They began shifting the focus toward the demographic they believed
would be a gold mine—teenagers (Batchelor, “Rock and Roll Music in the 1950s”). As
content became increasingly explicit throughout this decade, media outlets began to offer
“parental control” options that allowed parents to specifically handpick the programs their
children could watch or listen to. A new form of music flooded the mainstream and was
perceived by teens as a way to rebel against this rise of control (Kaliss). Many criticized the
hybridization of black and white culture through Rock and Roll; yet its prominence was
undeniable. The fame of Rock N’ Roll music would have been unattainable without help from
the 1950’s Disc Jockeys or “DJs”. Disc Jockeys are radio commentators who choose and play
popular recorded music on radio stations. By acknowledging the value of R&B music as well
as catering to the growing youth audience, Allen Freed and other DJs of the 1950’s became
crucial to the inception of Rock N’ Roll music. Through their invention of the radio “rock
format”, introduction of youth-oriented concert events, and the hybridization of music across
racial boundaries, Disc Jockeys popularized this revolutionary genre.
Radio’s reduced audience forced DJs to develop a new approach to their business by
establishing the “rock format”. Before the 1950’s, radio was widely used as a medium across
1 which to report news. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ‘fireside chats’ across radio broadcasting
systems linked the country together in times of tragedy, political unrest, and war (“Radio”).
After World War Two, radio programming experienced incredible growth as “American
consumption, suburban development, and postwar car and youth culture [made radio] a
portable accompaniment to life outside the home” (“Radio”). Existing AM stations increased
from 930 in 1945 to more than 2,300 in 1952 (Batchelor, “Radio in the 1950’s). By 1950,
almost one hundred percent of American households and over half of American automobiles
featured a radio system (Batchelor, “Radio in the 1950’s”). While the life of radio seemed
promising, the beginning of the new decade and the rise of television caused a plummet in
radio audiences. Therefore, radio was forced to reinvent itself. Throughout the 1950’s, very
little original programming aired on network or independent stations and had instead turned to
disc jockeys and recorded music as the primary format (Batchelor, “Radio in the 1950s”).
Disc Jockeys created personalities and adopted nicknames as a way to give their shows an
energetic and youthful quality. Allen “Moondog” Freed, one of the most influential DJs of the
time, grew up playing and loving jazz music. Freed went to Ohio State University and
received a subsequent education at a broadcasting school in Youngstown where he worked his
way to the local WKBN radio station (Talevski). Freed was eventually hired by an ABC
affiliate and moved to Ankron where he almost immediately became a local sensation,
accepting the nickname, “Knucklehead Freed” (Talevski). Freed ‘s popularity rooted from the
“velvety-cool style that his fans wanted to identify with” (Talevski). The Fabor Companion
even states that Freed often “interjected his own screeches to the music and had a habit of
thumping a telephone directory along with the beat of a record” (“Alan Freed”). These
idiosyncrasies furthered Freed’s popularity and earned him 27 hours of prime time
2 broadcasting per week (“Alan Freed”). By creating a radio persona for himself, Freed upheld
and commercialized this new and hip radio rock format. Since his audience had such affection
for his character, he became a credible and influential authority on music.
Due to a lack of content and a need to fill airtime, Disc Jockeys sought out new
material to expand the breadth of their audience. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, radio programs
created a racial barrier between blacks and whites that paralleled the racial tension existing
between the groups in society. Radio programs like Amos and Andy directly poked fun at the
black population. Stations also often refused to play music by or for African American
citizens (Kaliss). Yet, the trend quickly ended in the early 1950’s when record storeowner Leo
Mintz convinced Allen Freed to play original R&B records on his show (Batchelor,“The Birth
of Rock and Roll”). Rhythm and Blues music developed out of three specific black music
traditions: jump dance, gospel music, and blues shouters. These styles of music are distinctly
black as they the recall the movement of African Americans from the southern rural regions to
cities (Kaliss). White Americans did generally not listen to this type of music; however, white
musicians and performers such as Elvis Presely often borrowed songs and sounds originally
launched by these R&B artists (Kaliss). Allen Freed used his credibility as a DJ to convince
his audience of the importance he discovered in rhythm and blues music. He felt that the beat,
lyrics, and history reflected an important part of American culture and refused to play any
white covers of the original R&B songs (“Rock and Roll”). Other stations followed Freed and
began turning to music outside of the mainstream to gain listeners. These stations became
increasingly popular as black audiences tuned in, eager to hear African American music on
the radio (Kaliss). Gradually, stations such as WDIA in Memphis, became devoted entirely to
R&B music and the opportunities for black musicians’ songs to reach a wider audience were
3 amplified (Kaliss). In the process, these stations drew white listeners who also “appreciated
the musical inventiveness they heard from black musicians” (Kaliss). In the revolutionary
year of 1953, black performer Bill Haley and His Comets released a mainstream hit entitled,
“Shake, Rattle, and Roll” (Batchelor, “Rock and Roll Music in the 1950’s). This song further
promoted Rock N’ Roll music with its upbeat tune and catchy lyrics. Accordingly, this song
contributed to the advancement of the black performer in the previously all-white mainstream.
Allen Freed claimed to have coined the term “Rock N’ Roll” as a phrase without racial
associations. While the term did exist historically as a slang expression for sex, Freed
popularized the term and successfully used it to mask the African American origins of the
music (Kaliss). This expression made the music more palatable to white culture and allowed
the music to push past the racial boundaries to bring music lovers together, both black and
white.
Allen Freed’s ability to promote himself and this new music style increased the
amount of record and ticket sales to the white youth population. Teenagers in the 1950’s
dared to cross the racial barriers that had previously separated “mainstream pop” music from
African American “Rhythm and Blues” (Coletta). The lack of bias they demonstrated
increased record and concert ticket sales, which popularized this revolution further. Disc
Jockeys held events and concerts that brought together a wide audience of various cultural
backgrounds. The Moondog Coronation Ball was the first ever Rock N’ Roll concert run by
Allen Freed and held on March 21, 1952 in the Cleveland Arena (Talevski). While there was
only room for about 10,000 fans at the venue, almost 25,000 showed up to see the concert
(Talevski). While the majority of concertgoers were black, close to half were white
adolescents (“Alan Freed”). American disc jockeys appeared at many other live events such
4 as sock hops and platter parties to “assume the role of a human jukebox” (Batchelor, “The
Birth of Rock and Roll”). While teenagers danced and mixed, DJs would choose popular
songs and play them live for the attendees (Coletta). Allen Freed’s reputation eventually
caught the attention of New York City radio when his “The Moon Dog Rock N Roll Party”
program was broadcasted on Newark’s WNJR station (Talevski). Freed landed a shift at New
York’s WINS and immediately brought the station to the forefront in ratings and listenership
(Coletta). It wasn’t long before Freed was a national celebrity, syndicating his program in
over two dozen cities (“Alan Freed”). 1956 marked Freed’s launch of his first nationally
broadcast rock radio show, The Camel Rock and Roll Party (“Alan Freed”). Continuing his
concert promotion business, Freed set attendance records at Brooklyn’s Paramount theater
with a schedule of seven shows a day (“Alan Freed”). Freed also produced and starred in
several pioneering films including Don't Knock the Rock and Mister Rock and Roll (“Alan
Freed”). Through his continuous promotion of himself as a DJ and media star, Alan Freed
gained authority and power over his audiences. His role as a Disc Jockey was not only to play
new music, but also to artists and songs and make them desirable. Bill Randle, another
influential disc jockey of the 1950’s, regards Freed’s program as the “beginning of the
acceptance of black popular music as a force in radio [and] the first big show of its kind
where the industry saw it as big business” (Coletta).
While DJs were popular with the majority of 1950’s Americans, they were also the
target of condemnation for many religious groups, law enforcement officials, and music
publishing agencies. ASCAP, a large music-publishing agency, particularly packed heat
against DJs when they lost millions of dollars to rock artists (Talevski). Disc Jockeys in the
1950’s risked their jobs to cross racial barriers and integrate new forms of music into the
5 mainstream. Allen Freed’s ended his career in an unfortunately bad light. He received much
scrutiny surrounding the Coronation Ball, which turned into a massive youth riot (Batchelor,
“The Birth of Rock and Roll”). Freed was also eventually fired at WINS for further provoking
racial riots in Boston and New York City. Freed’s career officially ended in 1959 when he is
found guilty of being involved in the Payola Scandals. The scandal involved certain DJ’s
accepting payments in order to play and promote certain artists on their show, deeming their
acts “commercial bribery” (“Alan Freed”). Despite Freed’s role in gathering racial groups and
encouraging the “rebellious” nature of Rock N’ Roll, it is clear that his passion greatly
influenced the diffusion of a genre that won’t be easily disregarded.
Allen Freed and The Disc Jockeys of the 1950’s played a much larger role than simply
popularizing the idiom of “Rock & Roll”. Freed was a champion of civil rights and broke
down negative racial stereotypes, proving how critical disc jockeys were to the growth and
hybridization of popular music in America. Despite his crimes, Allen Freed was a champion
of civil rights and the pioneer of a cultural revolution. His ability break down negative racial
stereotypes in a predominately white mainstream audience is seen as a “vital step in rock’s
increasing dominance over American culture” (Coletta). Alan Freed has forever secured
himself a place in the history of American music as the first great Rock N Roll disc jockey
and remains today one of the first inductees into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of fFme. Rock N’ Roll
still flourishes today and pays homage to the great DJs of the 1950’s each time it’s played.
6 WORKS CITED
"Alan Freed." The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music. London: Faber and
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Batchelor, Bob. "Radio in the 1950s." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO,
2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
Batchelor, Bob. "Rock and Roll Music in the 1950s." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols,
Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.
Batchelor, Bob. "The Birth of Rock and Roll (Overview)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons,
Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.
Coletta, Charles. "Freed, Alan 'Moondog' (1921-1965)." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular
Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 2. Detroit: St. James Press,
2000. 162-163. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
Kaliss, Gregory. "Rhythm and Blues." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO,
2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
"RADIO." Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. Farmington: Gale,
2001. Credo Reference. Web. 04 April 2013.
"Rock and Roll." Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. Armonk:
M.E. Sharpe, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 05 April 2013.
Talevski, Nick. "Alan Freed." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2013.
Web. 4 Apr. 2013.
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