BEHIND THE MUSIC: ALAN FREED (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series about notable artists and figures in the music business. This episode examines the life of radio disc jockey Alan Freed, often known as the "father of rock and roll." During the 1950's, the United States was in the midst of segregation, and radio was no exception, as disc jockeys often passed over African-American musicians and refused to give them airtime. Freed, an Ohio native and music enthusiast, began his career as a disc jockey at a radio station in Cleveland on July 11th, 1951. He was immediately noted for ignoring the racial boundaries practiced by many other disc jockeys and playing music by African-American musicians, as well as his energetic and enthusiastic on-air persona. By 1952, his radio show was famous throughout the Midwest, and on March 21st of that year Freed hosted the first rock and roll concert in the United States, known as the "Moondog Ball." The concert sold out, but tens of thousands of young people, mainly African-Americans, flooded the stadium attempting to get in. The police shut down the concert before it could begin, and news of the incident made national headlines. Many authority figures considered Freed's patronage of African-American musicians subversive; on March 22nd he went on air to make a plea for understanding about the incident at the Moondog Ball. Before 1960, it was common practice for disc jockeys to receive money from record companies in exchange for playing their records, a practice known as "payola." Freed was among those who accepted such payments, but by the account of his friends and family, Freed was motivated less by profit than by playing what he thought were quality songs. Freed achieved status as a national celebrity by the year 1953. In April of that year, he drunkenly crashed his car and was rushed to the hospital. He survived, requiring hundreds of stitches and two months of hospitalization. His doctors warned that had to stop his drinking and smoking habits and gave him ten years to live. This diagnosis gave Freed a sense of urgency about his career, and in 1954 he moved to New York City to become a disc jockey for the station WINS. During this time, racial tensions continued to escalate throughout the country, while Freed continued his "colorblind" broadcasting methods. His continued energy and excitement made him the most well-known disc jockey first in New York, and then the whole country. He started promoting live rock and roll shows, continuing to give attention to African-American musicians such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. By 1957, Freed's concert appearances and consulting positions had made him quite wealthy, and he started funding films featuring rock and roll artists when Hollywood started taking interest in the music. He defied the orders of his doctors, continuing to both smoke and drink heavily. Moral and authority figures throughout the country set their sights against Freed for his representation of rock and roll; they felt threatened by the music since it brought young people of different races together. In 1958, the House Subcommittee of Legislative Oversight worked to make payola illegal, as they considered it a form of bribery. It is believed that they reasoned that payola was the only reason rock and roll was being played on the air, and that outlawing payola would essentially stop rock and roll. Freed soon found himself under investigation by the FBI and the IRS, denying that he had ever accepted payola. The scandal causes WINS to fire him in May of 1958. He briefly gets a job at their rival station, WABC, but they grow concerned that the payola scandal will cause them to lose their broadcasting license and draft an affidavit for their disc jockeys swearing that they accepted no payments. Freed refuses to sign the affidavit and in November of 1959 is fired from both the radio station and his television show. Many of Freed's fans and supporters are devastated by his firing. He is prosecuted and the long case takes its toll on him. In May of 1960, the New York District Attorney's office charges Freed with 25 counts of commercial bribery. His career spirals downwards because of the case; although many disc jockeys received such payments Freed was specifically targeted due to his association with African-American musicians. The case against him ends when he pleads guilty to two of the commercial bribery counts in 1962. After his firing Freed tries to get work at a Los Angeles radio station, moving his family to Palm Springs. However, he is fired from that station in June of 1961 after a dispute with the management. He is unable to find more work after that; he chooses to spend more time with his family and his heavy drinking intensifies. In 1964 Freed finds himself broke and with rapidly declining health. This culminates on New Year's Day in 1965, when he begins coughing up blood and is rushed to Desert Hospital, where he is diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. He struggles for three weeks, but eventually slips into a coma and passes away on January 20th, 1965. At the time, his death goes largely unheralded and he is mostly forgotten until 1986, when he is named as one of the first inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio for his contributions to the development of rock and roll music in the United States. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: VH1
- DATE: November 30, 1999
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:60185
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SERIES RUN: VH1 - TV series, 1997-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- George Moll … Executive Producer
- Jeff Gaspin … Executive Producer
- Jill Fox … Coordinating Producer
- Paul Gallagher … Supervising Producer
- Christopher Meindl … Producer
- Jonathan Denbo … Associate Producer
- Shawna Foster … Associate Producer
- Daryl Newmark … Associate Producer
- Jill Modabber … Director
- Jon Ernst … Music by
- Jim Forbes … Narrator
- John Jackson … Cast
- Bo Diddley … Cast
- Kim Fowley … Cast
- Little Richard … Cast
- Lance Freed … Cast
- Roger Steffens … Cast
- Alana Freed Roane … Cast
- Red Schwartz … Cast
- Jack Hooke … Cast
- Jerry Moss … Cast
- Inga Masken … Cast
- Dick Clark
- Alan Freed
- Oren Harris