Pioneer/”Father of Rock and Roll”

 While Freed called himself the “father of rock and roll“, he was not the first to play it on the airwaves; however, he is credited with popularizing the term “rock and roll” to describe the style of music. While it had been in use in musical circles to describe a style of music (dating back to at least 1938 with Rock it for Me, written by Kay and Sue Werner and performed by Chick Webb with Ella Fitzgerald and Mildred Bailey), Freed introduced it to a much larger audience. Many of the top African-American performers of the 1950s have given public credit to Freed for pioneering racial integration among the youth of America at a time when adults were still promoting racial strife. Little Richard has given the credit to Freed that others have denied him. An example of Freed‘s non-racist attitude is preserved in the motion pictures starring many of the leading African-American acts of the day in which he played a part as himself. For example, in the 1956 film Rock, Rock, Rock, Freed, as himself, tells the audience that “rock and roll” is a river of music that has absorbed many streams: rhythm and blues, jazz, rag time, cowboy songs, country songs, folk songs. All have contributed to the big beat.”

Alan Freed made it possible for white audiences to hear African-American music stylings. He arranged live concerts and played “black” music on his radio station.