Okla-homey
3/21/2006, 07:22 AM
March 21, 1952 Moondog Coronation Ball
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8339/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz15.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
54 years ago, the Moondog Coronation Ball, a landmark rhythm and blues event, took place on this night.
White disk jockey Alan Freed, a.k.a. Moondog, had developed a loyal following among Cleveland's black teenagers with his late-night rhythm and blues show, The Moondog House, which began airing in 1951.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/483/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzmages406243.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Alan Freed
In 1952, Freed booked a hockey rink with room for 10,000 for an R&B concert called the Moondog Coronation Ball, but he massively oversold tickets. Newspapers reported that some 6,000 fans that had purchased tickets were denied entry. The crowd rioted, broke into the rink, and police ended the concert.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9788/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzala.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Cleveland was outraged, but Freed's radio show only became more popular. In 1953, Freed threw the Biggest Rhythm and Blues Show tour, featuring Ruth Brown and Wynonie Harris. The tour drew a largely black audience and became the largest grossing R&B revue to date.
Within just a few years, rhythm and blues crossed over to become the dominant mainstream music form. In 1955, Freed threw the Rock and Roll Ball, featuring the Drifters, Fats Domino, Joe Turner, and others. All the musicians were black, but at least half the audience packing the arena was white.
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/6854/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz11.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Freed actually tried to copyright the term "rock and roll," which wasn't widely used at the time. In 1954, he'd been forced to stop using his DJ name, "Moondog," after a lawsuit was filed by a blind New York City street musician who had recorded a song called the "Moondog Symphony."
Freed renamed his show "Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Party" and took out a copyright on the term "rock and roll," in partnership with black music legend Morris Levy, veteran promoter Lew Platt, and radio station WINS.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9161/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz17.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
But soon, the tidal wave of rock and roll music made the term common parlance, and Freed's copyright became virtually useless. Nevertheless, in 1955, Cleveland was selected as the site for construction of the Rock and Roll Museum partly because Freed popularized the term there.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/949/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland OH
In 1959 the U.S. House Oversight Committee, at the urging of ASCAP, began to look into deejays who took gifts from record companies in return for playing their records on their shows. Though a number of deejays and program directors were caught in the scandal, the committee decide to focus on Freed. Freed's broadcasts alliances quickly deserted him. In 1959, WABC in New York asked him to sign a statement confirming that he had never accepted payola. Freed refused "on principle" to sign and was fired.
Freed was the only deejay subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee and refused to testify despite being given immunity. Trial began December, 1962 and ended with Freed pleading guilty to 29 counts of commercial bribery. Though he only received a $300 fine and 6 months suspended sentence his career would be over.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1727/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzza.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
On March 15, 1964 Freed was indicted by a federal grand jury for tax evasion. The IRS claimed that Freed owed $37,920 tax on unreported of $56,652 for the years 1957-59. Living in Palm Springs, California at the time, Freed was poor, unemployed and unemployable. Before he could answer the charges he entered a hospital suffering from uremia. Alan Freed died Jan 20, 1965 a penniless, broken man. He was 43.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6973/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz16.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2583/insane7zo5lf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8339/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz15.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
54 years ago, the Moondog Coronation Ball, a landmark rhythm and blues event, took place on this night.
White disk jockey Alan Freed, a.k.a. Moondog, had developed a loyal following among Cleveland's black teenagers with his late-night rhythm and blues show, The Moondog House, which began airing in 1951.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/483/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzmages406243.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Alan Freed
In 1952, Freed booked a hockey rink with room for 10,000 for an R&B concert called the Moondog Coronation Ball, but he massively oversold tickets. Newspapers reported that some 6,000 fans that had purchased tickets were denied entry. The crowd rioted, broke into the rink, and police ended the concert.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9788/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzala.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Cleveland was outraged, but Freed's radio show only became more popular. In 1953, Freed threw the Biggest Rhythm and Blues Show tour, featuring Ruth Brown and Wynonie Harris. The tour drew a largely black audience and became the largest grossing R&B revue to date.
Within just a few years, rhythm and blues crossed over to become the dominant mainstream music form. In 1955, Freed threw the Rock and Roll Ball, featuring the Drifters, Fats Domino, Joe Turner, and others. All the musicians were black, but at least half the audience packing the arena was white.
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/6854/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz11.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Freed actually tried to copyright the term "rock and roll," which wasn't widely used at the time. In 1954, he'd been forced to stop using his DJ name, "Moondog," after a lawsuit was filed by a blind New York City street musician who had recorded a song called the "Moondog Symphony."
Freed renamed his show "Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Party" and took out a copyright on the term "rock and roll," in partnership with black music legend Morris Levy, veteran promoter Lew Platt, and radio station WINS.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9161/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz17.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
But soon, the tidal wave of rock and roll music made the term common parlance, and Freed's copyright became virtually useless. Nevertheless, in 1955, Cleveland was selected as the site for construction of the Rock and Roll Museum partly because Freed popularized the term there.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/949/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland OH
In 1959 the U.S. House Oversight Committee, at the urging of ASCAP, began to look into deejays who took gifts from record companies in return for playing their records on their shows. Though a number of deejays and program directors were caught in the scandal, the committee decide to focus on Freed. Freed's broadcasts alliances quickly deserted him. In 1959, WABC in New York asked him to sign a statement confirming that he had never accepted payola. Freed refused "on principle" to sign and was fired.
Freed was the only deejay subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee and refused to testify despite being given immunity. Trial began December, 1962 and ended with Freed pleading guilty to 29 counts of commercial bribery. Though he only received a $300 fine and 6 months suspended sentence his career would be over.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1727/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzza.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
On March 15, 1964 Freed was indicted by a federal grand jury for tax evasion. The IRS claimed that Freed owed $37,920 tax on unreported of $56,652 for the years 1957-59. Living in Palm Springs, California at the time, Freed was poor, unemployed and unemployable. Before he could answer the charges he entered a hospital suffering from uremia. Alan Freed died Jan 20, 1965 a penniless, broken man. He was 43.
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6973/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz16.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2583/insane7zo5lf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)