Alan Freed
| Alan Freed | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Albert James Freed December 15, 1921 Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 20, 1965 (aged 43) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Uremia and cirrhosis |
| Resting place | Lake View Cemetery |
| Occupation | Disc jockey |
| Years active | 1945–65 |
| Spouse(s) |
Betty Lou Bean (m. 1943; div. 1949) Marjorie J. Hess (m. 1950; div. 1958) Inga Lil Boling (m. 1959–65) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | http://www.alanfreed.com/ |
Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965), also known as Moondog, was an American disc jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s.
Freed was born to a Russian-Jewish immigrant father, Charles S. Freed, and Welsh-American mother, Maude Palmer, in Windber, Pennsylvania. In 1933, Freed's family moved to Salem, Ohio where Freed attended Salem High School, graduating in 1940. While Freed was in high school, he formed a band called the Sultans of Swing in which he played the trombone. Freed's initial ambition was to be a bandleader; however, an ear infection put an end to this dream.
While attending the Ohio State University, Freed became interested in radio. Freed served in the Army during World War II and worked as a DJ on Armed Forces Radio. Soon after World War II, Freed landed broadcasting jobs at smaller radio stations, including WKST (New Castle, PA); WKBN (Youngstown, OH); and WAKR (Akron, OH), where, in 1945, he became a local favorite for playing hot jazz and pop recordings. Freed enjoyed listening to these new styles because he liked the rhythms and tunes.
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