On this day, Jan. 20, in 1965, the “father of rock n’ roll” died of alcoholism while facing federal charges in the radio payola scandal. He was 43.Alan Freed, credited with coining the term rock ‘n roll, was one of the first radio disc jockeys to program black music, as it was termed, for white audiences.
In 1958, Freed was charged with inciting a riot in Boston after he told the audience, “The police don’t want you to have fun.”
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Freed’s career was destroyed after he testified in the congressional payola hearings that he had accepted bribes from record companies to play their records.
A federal grand jury later indicted Freed on income taxes evasion. He was part of the first group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
— Scott McCabe
