Alan Freed, September 1954

   In September, Alan Freed leaves Cleveland, Ohio, to begin work at WINS radio in New York City, beginning a five-year term in New York that would help change the direction of rock 'n' roll forever.

 wikipedia_Alan Freed   Rock and roll

   On September 7, 1954, Alan Freed debuted his "Moondog Rock 'n' Roll House Party" on Radio Station WINS-AM And FM 1010, New York City, which also syndicated the program throughout the United States.

   Alan Freed moves to New York's WINS in September and quickly becomes the city's most famous DJ, attracting massive audiences to his newly named "Rock 'n' Roll Party".

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Alan Freed, August 1954

   August 1954, Alan Freed took his R&B revue show to New York. On August 1, 1954, Freed's "Moondog Jubilee Of Stars Under the Stars" was held at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field Ebbets, New York, then still home of baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. On the bill at that concert were the Dominoes, the Clovers, the Orioles, Fats Domino, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Count Basie's Orchestra, and Buddy Johnson's Orchestra.

  wikipedia_Alan Freed   Dominoes   Clovers   Orioles   Fats Domino   Muddy Waters

August 6, 1954 show in Cleveland, Ohio

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Alan Freed's Coronation Ball, May 1954

   Alan Freed's show, a dance at Newark's Sussex Avenue Armory on May 1, 1954, drew so many kids there was no room to dance. Morever, a quarter of the audience was white.

   wikipedia_Alan Freed  wikipedia_Moondog Coronation Ball   

   In May 1954, Alan Freed traveled to Newark, New Jersey where he held the "Eastern Moondog Coronation Ball" at the Sussex Avenue Armory in Newark. It was Freed's first personal appearance in the New York area. Among the R&B artists who appeared there were: Buddy Johnson and his orchestra and vocalist Ella Johnson; The Clovers, a vocal quartet; Roost Bonnemera and his Mambo Band; Nolan Lewis, Mercury recording star; Sam Butera, jazz saxophonist; Muddy Waters, blues guitar player; the Harptones; and Charles Brown. A crowd of some 11,000 came out for Freed's Newark show. RCA Victor recorded the entire show for use on a special Moondog album. 'Our World' magazine also covered the event in a featured pictorial story.

  wikipedia_Our World

   10,000 fans attend Alan Freed's first east coast Rock 'n' Roll Show held in Newark New Jersey, featuring the Clovers and Harptones. The success of it outside Freed's base of operations in Cleveland is further proof that rock 'n' roll has national appeal.

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Alan Freed - Moondog Coronation Ball - March 21, 1952

   Disc jockey Alan Freed, the man who popularized the expression “rock ’n’ roll” in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1951, gathers popular rhythm and blues performers of the time for his Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock ’n’ roll stage show, held at the Cleveland Arena on Friday, March 21, 1952. Acts include the Dominoes, Varetta Dillard, Danny Cobb, Tiny Grimes, and the Paul Williams Orchestra.

en.wikipedia.org Moondog Coronation Ball

The first rock ‘n’ roll poster, announcing the first rock ‘n’ roll concert. Alan Freed hosted and broadcast the Moondog Coronation Ball on March 21, 1952, photo= Cleveland Plain Dealer

A ticket from the Moondog Coronation Ball, in the Cleveland area on March 21, 1952

   On the night of March 21st, DJ Alan Freed puts on the ever rock 'n' roll show - "The Moondog Coronation Ball" in Cleveland starring The Dominoes, Veretta Dillard, Tiny Grimes & His Rockin' Highlanders featuring Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams. The overflow crowds break down the doors, storming the arena where a full scale riot ensues bringing the newly coined "rock 'n' roll" music its first widespread headlines and scrutiny.

Radio DJ Alan Freed, who uses the phrase rock ’n’ roll to describe a style of music, is host of the Moondog Coronation Ball at Cleveland Arena. A riot ensues when hundreds of concertgoers are unable to get into the sold-out show.

   March 21, 1952 Alan Freed's The Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland ends in a near riot, signifying the beginning of the rock era.

Alan Freed - Moondog Dances show - 1952

   Record Rendezvous, 300 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, the record store where Alan Freed and proprietor Leo Mintz decided to call the music Freed played “rock ‘n’ roll”

Alan Freed presiding over one of his popular Moondog Dances show, in the Cleveland, 1952

 The Moondog Show, Moondog Dances, in the Cleveland area on 1952. In Cleveland, disc jockey Alan Freed called himself Moondog. photo= Stu Mintz

Alan Freed, Leo Mintz in Cleveland, July 11, 1951

   Record Rendezvous, one of Cleveland's largest record stores, had begun selling rhythm and blues records. 

  en.wikipedia.org Alan Freed  en.wikipedia.org Rock and roll

  en.wikipedia.org Leo Mintz   Alan Freed 'Moondog'

  Record store owner Leo Mintz poses for a portrait in front of his store the "Record Rendezvous" which was located at 300 Prospect Ave. and specialized in selling "Race Music" which was early rock and roll and he later convinced Alan Freed to play on his radio show in circa 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio. 

   Alan Freed moved to Cleveland in 1951.

   Leo Mintz proposed buying airtime on Cleveland radio station WJW (850 AM), which would be devoted entirely to R&B recordings, with Alan Freed as host.

   July 11, 1951, Radio disc jockey Alan Freed begins his "Moondog Show" on WJW in Cleveland, broadcasting nothing but rhythm & blues, quickly becoming a hit with young black audiences. He also began popularizing the phrase "rock and roll" to describe the music he played.

Alan Freed 'Moondog' in his office.