Photo: Photo by James Kriegsmann, NY / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Freed is one of the foundational figures of American popular music, the man who put a name to a sound and forced it onto mainstream radio when gatekeepers wanted it to stay in the margins. What I find compelling is how completely his story embodies both the promise and the rot of the early music business: he broke down racial lines on the airwaves, then got destroyed by the payola hearings that scapegoated him while the industry quietly moved on. He died young and broke, only to be canonized decades later. A tragic, essential figure who deserves more than a footnote.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
Overview
Alan Freed (December 15, 1921 - January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey and radio personality born in Windber, Pennsylvania. He is widely credited with popularizing the term 'rock and roll' and championing the genre to a broad, racially integrated audience in the 1950s. His career was later derailed by the payola scandal, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 1986.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Alan Freed
- Name (Japanese)
- アラン・フリード
- Reading
- あらん・ふりーど
- Born
- December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965
- Origin
- Windber, Pennsylvania, United States
- Occupation
- Disc jockey / Radio personality / Songwriter
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rooster
2. Background
- University
- Ohio State University
Awards & achievements
- 2002 Grammy Trustees Award
- Hollywood Walk of Fame star
- 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Signature work | Rock and roll |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.alanfreed.com/
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan%20Freed
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%95%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q453956
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Alan Freed born?
Born December 15, 1921.
When did Alan Freed die?
Died January 20, 1965, aged 43.
Where was Alan Freed from?
Alan Freed was from Windber, Pennsylvania, United States.
What did Alan Freed do?
Alan Freed worked as Disc jockey, Radio personality, Songwriter.
What was Alan Freed known for?
Notable works include Rock and roll.
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