#disc jockeys

[history105rockandrollblog]

Lecture 5:  Jiles Perry (“J. P..”) Richardson, Jr., a.k.a. The Big Bopper (1930–1959) performs his huge hit “Chantilly Lace” in the fall of 1958 on the Dick Clark Show. Richardson had worked in a variety of jobs before launching his singing career, including a stint in the army and a go at disc jockeying at station KTRM in Beaumont, Texas. His catchy signature song “Chantilly Lace,” recorded on the Mercury label, became an instant hit upon release in August 1958. It climbed to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent 22 weeks on the American Top 40 charts, turning Richardson into an instant rock star shortly before his tragic death. Rest in peace.

[rockandroll2017]

Lecture 5: Celebrity disc jockey Alan (”Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll”) Freed appeared on countless television programs, including To Tell the Truth, a popular television panel game show on CBS, which featured celebrities trying to figure out who among three individuals was the real Alan Freed. This particular clip is lots of fun, and highlights how little establishment celebrities (like the ones on the panel) actually knew about rock ‘n’ roll! This footage is from 1957. 

[farm2turntable]

Found photo.

[history105rockandrollblog]

Lecture 5: Alan Freed interviews Buddy Holly in this radio clip from September 23, 1958. Note the rapport between the two men, and the jokey banter, even when the subject of conversation eerily turns to flying and Buddy discusses a helicopter crash in Cincinnati. Both of them allude a few times to the hazards of flying. Buddy is totally charming and down to earth (as always), and the audience is clearly enthusiastic. And Freed’s warm and engaging style makes it easy to understand why he was friends with so many early rock ‘n’ roll pioneers of the 1950s. 

[rockandroll2017]

Lecture 5: One of many films to feature Alan Freed in the 1950s, cashing in on the Rock ‘n’ Roll craze, was MISTER ROCK AND ROLL (1957), which featured scenes of Freed spliced together with clips of early rock ‘n’ roll performers. These kinds of films were cheap to make, and were often part of double features at movie theaters and drive-ins across America in the Fifties. They also helped to make Freed a superstar in the 1950s, and one of the most easily recognized figures of the era.

[rockandroll2017]

Lecture 5: Here is an aircheck (an aircheck is a recording of a radio broadcast, usually with the music omitted from reproduction for copyright purposes) from radio station WJW Cleveland from April 6, 1954, featuring the Tuesday night rock and roll show hosted by the “Moondog” himself, Alan Freed. This broadcast is fairly typical of Freed’s early rock and roll broadcasts. He was one of the most energetic hosts on the radio at the time, which explains his meteoric rise in the business.

[farm2turntable]

Found photo.

[hist105rockblog]

Lecture 5: Here is an aircheck sound file of Alan Freed’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Show (February 2, 1955), broadcast at the height of Freed's fame on station 1010 WINS New York. This surviving recording of Freed’s show offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of radio in the mid-1950s, and it is fairly typical of early rock ‘n’ roll programming. The broadcast includes one of Freed’s many impassioned defenses of American teenagers, some cool yet largely forgotten music, and a series of fun commercials, including a plug for a local “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fan Club” in the Bronx “for girls.” Not sure if it's still going. Don't blame me if you send in your hard-earned shekels and it's defunct!