h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Alan Freed - A8510555
Author: shagbark - U170775

Since the Done to Soon Project seems to be on hold I am advancing this aricle about a legendary DJ here.

I'm pretty sure that Graumann's don't have anything to do with the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I believe it's in the purlieu the local chamber of commerce.

yeay for Alan Freed entry ..

couple of things ... Salem Ohio --> Salem, Ohio

other mentions of citys should also have commas


and 'rock and roll', I thought that some old blues records may have mentioned it, however Alan Freed was the one who coined it for the genre


And I think that Cleveland took the R&R hall of fame because Alan Freed was from there.

BH was right about Graumans not having the walk of fame.
However the Chamber of Commerce website states "After the Walk of fame committe has made it's selections the artists must have the approval of the following agencies: The Hollywood chamber of commerce,
the Los Angeles city Board of Public works, with the final approbation being made by the Los Angeles City Council.

As to the matter of why Cleveland Put the hall of fame there I doubtthat it was because of Freed's connection to the city. He most certainly did not attend school there and it wasn't even his first Radio Station.

I've always thought that Cleveland was chosen because of the Freed connection.

From Wikipedia:

The city lobbied to be chosen because one-time Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed is widely credited with promoting the new genre (and the term) of "rock and roll". After a petition drive that was signed by 600,000 fans favoring Cleveland, and a USA Today poll which Cleveland won by 100,000 votes, the hall of fame board voted to site the museum in Cleveland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame#Foundation_and_museum

I read that in Foder's rock and roll guide

Hi Shagbark.

Good entry - well a good start. Whilst I like what you've written I've got a couple of nit picks.

'Rock and Roll' shouldn't be in bold, italics are used for emphasis in the EG not bold.

His show soon became the number one rated show in ther big apple - do you mean 'the Big Apple'.

The main problem I have with this is that the entry doesn't give me a sense of how Alan Freed changed music. Firstly what era are we talking about - what sort of music did we have before Rock and Roll, and what music was Rock and Roll. Could we have some examples of the groups and what sort of music they played.

What was the public reception to 'Rock and Roll' was everyone pleased to hear it? Or did it cause a moral panic amoung the great and the good?

I imagine I still have some spelling , Capitalization and grammar to deal with but have I addressed the major issues here or does someone see something in this mans life that I have overlooked?

Note I capitalized Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues but did not capitolize jazz or hillbilly music ( the source of rock-a billy from which sprang Elvis Presley) Does this inconsistancy bother anyone?

not really

Hi shagbark!
Well done on this informative entry

There are some American spellings in there, and I think "Sultan's of Swing" should be "Sultans of Swing"

and something a spell-check won't pick up: "Done to soon" should be "Done too soon"

Good entry

Hey shagbark, nice one, good work! I'll have a closer look later on...

Hi shagbark! Thanks for sticking with this even after the original project fizzled and died. It certainly wasn't the success I had hoped for, but if we get a few or more great new biography entries in the Guide, it won't have been a complete failure

"Alan Freed may not have caused the change in music but he was at the right place at the right time and in tune with the changes that were occurring in american music." - I think I understand what this is trying to say, but my first impression was that he wasn't really that significant, just lucky. What makes him significant is how he took advantage of his luck. I think it could also be said that while he may not personally have beer responsible for the changes, he was responsible for promoting them, gaining a wider audience for the music, and pushing it into the mainstream. Without that, rock and roll might have been just another footnote in history (somewhat like rock-a-billy).

You say in the 30s and 40s "most radio music came from live performances", which at first I took to mean that broadcasts were of live recordings. I think what you mean is that broadcasts were of bands actually performing in the station, and this could be made clearer.

You might give more detail on "rock and roll" - where it is derived from and when it first came into usage, why it is credited to Freed.

Opti also wrote a bit about Freed for the Done project, you might find a few more details in the entry at A5817080 (the bit on Freed is at the bottom). It would be nice to see some more about the films he appeared in and how they might have been significant. His character has also appeared in a few music/history films (portrayed by a few different actors), this is probably worth mentioning as well. There's some information here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0293097/

This is a good entry, shagbark. With a little more work it can be great!

ONCE AGAIN ADDED INFO AND A MAJOR REWRITE. and not just from the web.
I actually took to the library to look up things (like the fact that he was married)(I should have looked further and found out when he was divorced by each of his three wives)

One problem with rewrites is then I have a new crop of spelling errors and grammer to look at. Maybe I should export a copy to Microsoft word so I could use the spell check.

Great job, shagbark! This looks a lot more comprehensive than the earlier version

At the beginning of the second paragraph, you say "Alan Freed may not have caused the change in music...", but there is no reference to what change you are talking about. Beefing up your intro would fix this, something like:
Disc Jockey Alan Freed was born Albert James Freed on 15 December, 1921, near Johnstown, PA, the son of a clothing store clerk named Charles Freed. When he was 12 his family moved to Salem, Ohio. Freed had a high school band called the Sultans of Swing, but as a DJ he would eventually become one of the pioneers of the rock-and-roll movement, even being credited with coining the term 'Rock and Roll'."

Some typos (I don't know if spell checker will pick these up or not) and other things I noticed:
--occurring in american music. >> American
--And it was his skill >> It was his skill
--During the great depression >> Great Depression
--among the lower and middle class >> lower- and middle-class
--In the thirties and forties >> 1930s and 1940s
--1n 1941 >> In
--A Marriage >> marriage
--Chuck berry's hit >> Berry's
--while working as a DJ in Cleveland Freed was >> While working as a DJ in Cleveland, Freed was
--Interviewed by Eric Severeid Freed faced up >> When interviewed by Eric Severeid, Freed faced up
--in then New York market >> in the New York market
--Movies were made Rock Around the Clockin 1956 and Mr Rock and Roll in 1957. >> Movies were made(*) including Rock Around the Clock in 1956 and Mr Rock and Roll in 1957.
*What were the movies about? The rock and roll phenomenon? Freed's life? Music in general?
--Now divorced from his first wife with two kids he married again. This time to Marjorie Mc Coy and had two more kids. >> Now divorced from his first wife with whom he had two kids, he married again, this time to Marjorie Mc Coy, and had two more kids.
--Committee stepped in, and when Freed refused to cooperate with the investigation the matter was turned over
--in New York and then some twenty years after >> in New York. Some twenty years after

Looking good

done.

In RL I just had a tooth pulled and the dentist gave me strict orders-

"No Spitting"

Now where have I heard that before

In h2g2's ho7use rules of course