It's a debate that's been going on for years. Was Alan Freed a rocker friendly DJ or a straight laced carpetbagger? That debate is so old it's ridiculous. Are radio DJs really supposed to have principles? Yeah, he did promote rock 'n' roll shows, but was he only in it for the money? He wasn't a musician, what was his interest? He did seem enthused. But then there's that pesky little payola thing. Pay to play. Record companies paid him to play their product, and he was getting co-writing credits in exchange for airplay, benefiting from the publishing royalties. Fuck, whether or not he coined the term "rock 'n' roll", he all but invented a crime.
I ran into a collections of his live broadcasts from 1956. Right on the cusp here, there's big band, rhythm and blues, doo wop, and the earliest strains of rock 'n' roll. Somewhere among these broadcasts are Count Basie, Joe Williams, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, LaVerne Baker, The Robins, The Jacks, The Treniers, The Penguins, Etta James, The Clovers, The Cadillacs, Clyde McPhatter, Della Reese, The Platters, The Drifters, The Moonglows, Chuck Willis, Ivory Joe Hunter, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Johnny Burnette Trio, Chuck Berry, Flamingos, Big Maybelle, Jimmy Cavallo and The House Rockers, and Bill Haley and His Comets. A crap shoot yes, but shit, just stream them while you're doing the dishes or something. There's 24 broadcasts, all about 25-28 minutes long. You may get sick of all of the spots for Camel cigarettes, the sponsor of the show. I sure did. Otherwise, good eatin'.
I ran into a collections of his live broadcasts from 1956. Right on the cusp here, there's big band, rhythm and blues, doo wop, and the earliest strains of rock 'n' roll. Somewhere among these broadcasts are Count Basie, Joe Williams, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, LaVerne Baker, The Robins, The Jacks, The Treniers, The Penguins, Etta James, The Clovers, The Cadillacs, Clyde McPhatter, Della Reese, The Platters, The Drifters, The Moonglows, Chuck Willis, Ivory Joe Hunter, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Johnny Burnette Trio, Chuck Berry, Flamingos, Big Maybelle, Jimmy Cavallo and The House Rockers, and Bill Haley and His Comets. A crap shoot yes, but shit, just stream them while you're doing the dishes or something. There's 24 broadcasts, all about 25-28 minutes long. You may get sick of all of the spots for Camel cigarettes, the sponsor of the show. I sure did. Otherwise, good eatin'.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Alan Freed - Camel Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party at Internet Archive 24 episodes.
NOTE: Once there, to download, scroll down In the right column, under "Download options" click on "VBR MP3 Files"
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