Commentary: Pittsburgh Rock Hall of Fame has to dig deeper for its inductees | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Commentary: Pittsburgh Rock Hall of Fame has to dig deeper for its inductees January 18, 2014 9:05 PM Scott Mervis/Post-Gazette Jimmy Beaumont, left, and Porky Chedwick in September 2012. Concert promoter Pat DiCesare, who was in competition with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars, brought The Beatles to Pittsburgh in 1964. By Scott Mervis / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rich Engler is a great guy and one of the true legends of Pittsburgh rock 'n' roll. Our music scene, our music life, our memories would not be the same without the concert promoter, who took a lot of chances and brought thousands of great shows to our city over the span of 30 years. There is absolutely no question that he should go into the Pittsburgh Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. Just not first. On Thursday, he will be the initial inductee into this symbolic hall created by the Hard Rock Cafe and the Cancer Caring Center.

Inductees will be honored each year with a plaque mounted at the Hard Rock. Mr. Engler, who in addition to being a promoter was the drummer for '60s band the Grains of Sand, will be celebrated with an all-star show featuring Donnie Iris, B.E. Taylor, Joe Grushecky, Scott Blasey and more. On hand will be the actual president and CEO of the national Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Joel Peresman. It's a testament to DiCesare-Engler Productions that Mt. Lebanon native Mr. Peresman got his start there as an go-fer. The chairs of the Pittsburgh rock hall are Mary Ann Miller and Theresa Kaufman, who both work in the public relations business. They conceived of the hall as a way to honor Pittsburgh music legends while raising money for the Cancer Caring Center, clearly a noble cause. They are working on "a blue ribbon committee" to make decisions for the hall in the future. Ms. Miller says that for now Mr. Engler was chosen because he is "where music came from in our lives -- his name was on everybody's list." As longtime Pittsburghers know, it didn't start here with Rich Engler.

A legit Pittsburgh Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame should begin with Porky Chedwick, who started playing "race" records here in 1948, even before Alan Freed, who is credited with popularizing the phrase "rock 'n' roll." It was the Daddio of the Raddio who launched rock 'n' roll in Pittsburgh, played the forbidden black artists, broke records nationally and literally drove our teenagers wild in the streets (Stanley Theatre 1953). He's still very much alive at 95, God bless him. From there, you have to go to Jimmy Beaumont. And Joe Rock. Mr. Beaumont was and is the golden-voiced lead singer of the Skyliners, who went to No. 12 on the charts in 1959 with "Since I Don't Have You." It was the first major Pittsburgh hit of the rock era. (You have heard the Guns 'N Roses version). It was written by late Skyliners manager and producer Joe Rock, who also managed the Jaggerz (No. 2 in 1970 with "The Rapper") and the Granati Brothers.

He would have been the logical co-inductee with Mr. Beaumont. There were other brilliant choices from the doo-wop era, including the Marcels ("Blue Moon"), Del-Vikings ("Come and Go With Me") and Lou Christie ("The Gypsy Cried"). Business-wise, the first inductee candidate is a no-brainer. It was, after all, called DiCesare-Engler, Pat DiCesare being the man who brought The Beatles to Pittsburgh in 1964. I would say that Mr. DiCesare was the Bill Graham of Pittsburgh, but he predated Bill Graham. A songwriter for doo-wop acts, he started booking concerts in 1962, mentored by his friend Tim Tormey, who was more of a Sinatra guy. Mr. DiCesare became the dominant promoter in town during the '60s and when Mr. Engler came along as the new kid on the block in 1969, Mr. DiCesare didn't try to squash him -- he made him a partner!

So, your first class of Pittsburgh Rock 'N Roll Hall of Famers: Porky Chedwick, Joe Rock, Jimmy Beaumont and Pat DiCesare. You can't blame Mr. Engler for graciously accepting this honor. You can bet, though, that he will have a hand in making sense of this operation in the future. Scott Mervis: smervis@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2576. Alan Freed Alan Freed One of the most important popularizers of rock and roll during the '50s, Alan Freed was the first disc jockey and concert producer of rock and roll. Often credited with coining the term rock and roll in 1951, ostensibly to avoid the stigma attached to R&B and so called race music, Freed opened the door to white acceptance of black music, eschewing white cover versions in favor of the R&B originals.

Senior year at Salem (Ohio) High - 1939-1940 Freed family - 1956 R to L: father Charles, Alan, sister Jackie Seated: mother Maude Albert James Freed was born December 15, 1922 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania of a Welsh mother and Lithuanian born father. He was one of three sons of Maude and Charles Freed, a clothing store salesman.In 1933 when Freed was twelve his family moved to Salem, Ohio. He attended Salem High School during which time he formed a band known as the Sultans of Swing, in which he played trombone. His ambition was to on day to become a bandleader, but an ear infection ended that possibility. After he graduated from high school in 1940, he enrolled at Ohio State University where he studied engineering for a year. It was during this time that he developed an interest in radio After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Freed joined the US Army where he was assigned to the Ski Patrol. It was at this time he developed a serious ear infection causing him to receive his discharge. Returning to Salem he went work as a government inspector in military plants.

It was here he met his first wife Betty Lou Bean. They were married in 1942. While at his government job, Freed enrolled in a night broadcasting class in Youngstown, Ohio. After finishing he landed a jobs at number of small stations. His first at WKST (1942) in New Castle, Pennsylvania where he played classical music for $45 a week. Next was sportscasting at WKBN (1942) and WAKR (1945) where he became a local favorite, playing hot jazz and pop recordings. Both of these stations were in Akron, Ohio. In 1949 Freed landed a job and moved to WXEL-TV in Cleveland. In 1950, Freed went to the management of WAKR requesting more money. When he didn't get it he quit went to another Akron station WADC. Except Freed still was under contract to WAKR. A law resulted that banned him from braodcasting within 75 miles of akron for one year suit. He then left Akron for Cleveland. It was at this time that Freed took his Request Review to WXEL-TV where the show bombed.

However he stayed hosting a midday movie before he went to WJW where he did a classical radio show and late night movie on their television station. WAKR - 1949-1950 WXEL - 1950-1951 Courtesy John Cavello, National Television Archive Leo Mintz who owned the Record Rendezvous a local record store saw an increasing number of white teenagers buying rhythm and blues records at his store. Based on these observations Mintz suggested to Freed he would sponsor his show if he whould begin playing these records. On July 11, 1951, at 11 PM signed off on his clasical program. Putting the needle down on Todd Rhodes's Blues For A Moondog calling himself "Moondog," Freed went on the air and became among the first to program rhythm and blues for a white teenage audience. Other small stations followed eventually forcing the larger stations to join in. Due to the prejudices of the times Freed began calling the rhythm and blues records he played Rock "n" Roll. What is ironic that term Freed was using to make rhythm and blues more acceptable to a white audience, was slang for sex in the black community.

In 1951 a black vocal group The Dominoes recorded "Sixty Minute Man" which was a (#1 R&B and #17 pop) hit. The lyrics were highly suggestive and used rock and roll in the lyrics. Freed began using the term a month later and most likely was inspired by this song. Moondog Coronation Ball - 3/21/52 Courtesy John Cavello, National Television Archive Freed would name his show Moondog's Rock 'n' Roll Party. The shows success led to Freed's March 1952 Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland. Top black acts were booked for the show. Six thousand fans crashed gates in addition to the thousands already in 10,000 seat hall. Two thirds of the audience was white WINS-1955 Courtesy John Cavello, National Television Archive In 1954 Freed moved his show to WINS radio in NY. Within months the show was #1. Freed began staging revues at Brooklyn Paramount where he often could be found on stage gyrating.

Freed appeared in a number of rock and roll movies such as Don't Knock The Rock, Rock Around The Clock, and Rock, Rock, Rock. It was no surprise that these movies broadened the acceptance of rock and roll. The real surprise was Alan Freed in the flesh. In his mid-thirties Freed looked at least ten years older. Klutzy with little stage presence Freed looked completely out of place. To many teens Freed looked like the ultimate adult. In 1957 ABC-TV gave Freed his own nationally-televised rock & roll show, but an episode on which Frankie Lymon danced with a white girl enraged ABC's Southern affiliates and the show was cancelled. Freed's first real problems began when he put on a show at the Boston Arena (1958) that resulted in his being charged with incitement to riot. Though the charges were later dismissed, but WINS failed to renew Freed's contract. This incident forced him into into bankruptcy and would just be the beginning of Freed's legal problems. Freed moved to WABC radio, and also hosted a locally televised dance show. In 1959 the U.S.

House Oversight Committee, at the urging of ASCAP, began to look into deejays who took gifts from record companies in return for playing their records on their shows. Though a number of deejays and program directors were caught in the scandal, the committee decide to focus on Freed. Freed's broadcasts alliances quickly deserted him. In 1959, WABC in New York asked him to sign a statement confirming that he had never accepted payola. Freed refused "on principle" to sign and was fired. On Feb 8, 1960 a New York Grand Jury began looking into commercial information in the recording industry and on May 19, 1960 eight men were charged with receiving $116,580 in illegal gratuities. This probe would lead to Freed being charged with income tax evasion by the IRS. (Left to right Mel Leeds, program director WINS, Peter Tripp, WMGM disc jockey and Alan Freed being booked at a New York police station in May, 1960) Freed was the only deejay subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee and refused to testify despite being given immunity.

Trial began December, 1962 and ended with Freed pleading guilty to 29 counts of commercial bribery. Though he only received a $300 fine and 6 months suspended sentence his career would be over. Forced to leave New York Freed work briefly at KDAY (owned by the same company that owned WINS) in 1960, in Los Angeles, but when management refused to let him promote live rock & roll shows Freed left the station and returned to Manhattan to emcee a live twist revue. When the twist craze cooled he hooked on as a disc jockey at WQAM (Miami, FL). Realizing that his dream of returning to New York radio was just that, Freed's drinking increased. The Miami job lasted only two months. Alan Freed's Gravestone Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York, USA March 15, 1964 Freed was indicted by a federal grand jury for tax evasion. The IRS claimed that Freed owed $37,920 tax on unreported of $56,652 for the years 1957-59.

Living in Palm Springs, California at the time, Freed was poor, unemployed and unemployable. Before he could answer the charges he entered a hospital suffering from uremia. Alan Freed died Jan 20, 1965 a penniless, broken man. He was 43. Freed truly loved rock and roll, claimed to have never have played a record he didn't like and never forgot where the music came from. However, he was a flawed man who claimed songwriting credits that weren't his, paid performers on his tours very little and associated with questionable individuals. Alan Freed was inducted in to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. alan-freeds-ashes-removed-from-the-rock-hall-will-stay-in-cleveland Trey Barrineau, USA TODAY 3:59 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2014 1 Shares The ashes of Alan Freed, the disc jockey credited with popularizing the term "rock 'n' roll," are no longer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but their final resting place won't be too far away.

Freed's remains, which until earlier this month had been displayed under a spotlight at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will be interred in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, the Associated Press reports. On Aug. 4, the urn was removed from the hall and given to Freed's family. Rock Hall officials say it was because they wanted the exhibit to focus more on Freed's story and not his remains. Freed launched the "Moondog Show" on Cleveland's WJW-AM in 1951 as a showcase for rhythm & blues records by black artists. The program became wildly popular. Freed started using the term "rock and roll" -- slang for sex -- to describe the new sound that was starting to spread to the mainstream, and it stuck. He moved to New York's WINS in 1954, which gave him and the music a national platform. The rest is history. Later, Freed was caught up in the "payola" scandal , in which DJs illegally took secret payments to play records. He died in 1965 at the age of 43. Freed's story came to the big screen in 1978's American Hot Wax.

It's notable for giving Jay Leno and Fran Drescher some of their earliest work. The film was also notable for performances by rock pioneers Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. Read or Share this story: Most Popular The Straight Dope: Who invented the term "rock 'n' roll"? A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge Who invented the term "rock 'n' roll"? February 28, 1986 Dear Cecil: With all the recent furor over the location of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, we all need to know: when, where, and by whom was the term "rock 'n' roll music" invented? — DMc, Alexandria, Virginia Cecil replies: Depends what you mean by "invent." The term was first used to describe a particular kind of music by Alan Freed, the legendary Cleveland disc jockey who was among the first to introduce black rhythm-and-blues music to a white audience. But the roots of the term go back much earlier. In the 1920s the words "rock" and "roll," used separately or together, were employed by black people to mean partying, carrying on, and/or having sex.

According to rock historian Nick Tosches, blues singer Trixie Smith recorded a tune in 1922 called "My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)" for Black Swan Records. "Daddy," suffice it to say, wasn't trying to rock little Trixie to sleep. This song inspired such variations as "Rock That Thing" by Lil Johnson and "Rock Me Mama" by Ikey Robinson. By the 1930s the term had begun to be associated with the idea of music with a good beat to it. In 1931 Duke Ellington did "Rockin' in Rhythm" for Victor. The Boswell Sisters did a song called "Rock and Roll" in the 1934 United Artists flick Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round. In 1939 Buddy Jones recorded "Rockin' Rollin' Mama" (String), in which he soulfully shouted, "I love the way you rock and roll!" But rockin' and rollin' didn't really catch on until 1948, when Wynonie Harris released "Good Rockin' Tonight" (King).

An earlier version by Roy Brown (Deluxe, 1947) had bombed, but Wynonie's cover became a number one hit. That was the beginning of a flood of tunes that worked "rock" into the title, such as Bill Haley's "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" (1952), which contained the deathless words "Rock, rock, rock, everybody/Roll, roll, roll, everybody." In 1952 Alan Freed visited a Cleveland record store and learned that R&B records were being snapped up by white teenagers. Sensing the makings of something big, he changed the name of his popular music show on radio station WJW from "Record Rendezvous" to "Moon Dog's Rock 'n' Roll House Party" and began playing R&B tunes. Freed apparently used the term "rock 'n' roll" to describe the music because he thought the racial connotation of "rhythm and blues" might turn off the white audience. In any case, the term stuck. Freed was the original high-energy, shout-along-with-the-record AM screamer, and his show, along with rock 'n' roll music, attracted a huge following.

A rock 'n' roll show Freed promoted at Cleveland Stadium had to be canceled when the place was mobbed by thousands of fans. By 1954 Freed had moved to a late-night show on WINS in New York City, where he duplicated his earlier success. On April 12, 1954, Bill Haley and the Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock," a teen anthem generally credited with making rock 'n' roll a worldwide phenomenon. Initially the tune did poorly, but when it was chosen as the theme for the film Blackboard Jungle, it became a monster smash in just about every country where the movie played, selling 22 million copies in all. Meanwhile, down in Memphis, a redneck by the name of Elvis Aron Presley … but the rest you know. A correction Dear Cecil: Bill Haley did not record "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" in 1952. "Rock-Around-the-Clock" was the first song he recorded for Decca Records (now MCA) in 1954. (I was there.) He also recorded the other song for Decca, but a year later.

According to Alan Freed, the first time he used the term "rock 'n' roll" was when he first played RATC on his radio show at NYC station WINS. Haley's recording of RATC is still selling over a million copies a year worldwide, and has sold more than 40 million copies to date. It has been recorded over 500 times by other artists such as Chubby Checker, Mae West, Pat Boone, and several of the Beatles. Total sales have passed the one hundred million mark, making it the best-selling song of all time. Anyhoo, thanks for the plug on my song. — James E. Myers, AKA Jimmy DeKnight, composer (with Max Freedman) of "Rock-Around-the-Clock." Cecil replies: I stand corrected — "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" was recorded in 1955.

Possibly I was thinking of "Rock the Joint," a 1952 Bill Haley release with the line, "We're gonna rock this joint tonight." — Cecil Adams Rock 'n' Roll History For July 10 Rock 'n' Roll History for July 10 1950 - ClassicBands.com July 10 The US music show Your Hit Parade premiered on NBC-TV. The program, which featured vocalists covering the top hits of the week, had been on radio since 1935. It moved to CBS in 1958 but was canceled the following year, unable to cope with the rising popularity of Rock 'n' Roll. 1954 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Producer Sam Phillips took an acetate of Elvis Presley singing "That's All Right" to DJ Dewey Phillips at Memphis radio station WHBQ. After Dewey played the song on the air around 9:30 that evening, listeners flooded the phone lines requesting to hear the song again. July 10 New York radio station WINS announced the hiring of pioneer Rock disc jockey Alan Freed to be the host of their Rock 'n' Roll Party.

As he did on his earlier Moondog's Rock 'n' Roll House Party Show on WJW in Cleveland, Freed programmed records by Black R&B artists that many White teenagers had never heard before. Freed is often credited with popularizing the term "Rock and Roll", although the phrase was first used in 1942 by Billboard magazine columnist Maurie Orodenker to describe upbeat recordings. 1961 - ClassicBands.com July 10 "Tossin' and Turnin'" by 28 year old Bobby Lewis reaches the top of the Billboard chart for the first of a seven week run, one of the longest of the year. A few months later he'll have another Top Ten song, "One Track Mind", his only other major hit record. 1963 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Martha And The Vandellas release "Heatwave", which will reach #4 on the Billboard Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart by mid-August. The song became their first million-seller and eventually won the group their only Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

1965 - ClassicBands.com July 10 The Rolling Stones classic rocker "Satisfaction" was number one in the US on both the Cashbox and Billboard charts. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine placed "Satisfaction" in the number two spot on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and in 2006 it was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, despite its sexually suggestive lyrics. July 10 Wilson Pickett 's "In The Midnight Hour" is released, as is Sonny And Cher 's "I Got You Babe". July 10 The Strangeloves , a New York-based American songwriting team who pretended to be a band from Australia, cracked the Billboard Top 40 for the first time with "I Want Candy". They had already had success by writing "My Boyfriend's Back" for The Angles and would place two more of their own recordings on the chart with "Cara-Lin" (#39) and "Night Time" (#30).

1966 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Cat Stevens cuts his first record, "I Love My Dog" at Decca Records' studio in London. It would peak at #28 in the UK the following November. 1967 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Kenny Rogers and several other members of the New Christy Minstrels quit to form the First Edition. The new group received their first national exposure on the Smothers Brothers TV show and went on to have such hits as "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" in 1968, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" in 1969 and 1971's "Something's Burning" as well as hosting their own weekly TV show. July 10 Bobbie Gentry records "Ode to Billie Joe", which will top the Billboard chart next August. Originally intended as the B-side of her first single, the song has now sold over 3 million copies world-wide. 1968 - ClassicBands.com July 10 The Nice was banned from Royal Albert Hall in London after stomping on and burning an American flag during a concert.

Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the Nice, joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer . 1969 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Former Rolling Stones' guitarist Brian Jones is laid to rest at the Priory Road Cemetery in Prestbury, England. The other members of the band, except Mick Jagger, were in attendance. 1971 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Three Dog Night 's "Liar" is released. It would become their sixth Billboard Top Ten song, topping out at #7. 1972 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Harry Nilsson 's album, "Son of Schmilsson" is released. It featured George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks. 1975 - ClassicBands.com July 10 After being married for only ten days, Cher petitioned for divorce from Greg Allman . She would change her mind a few days later, but the pair eventually split for good in 1979. July 10 Gladys Knight 's NBC-TV Summer variety series begins, as does The Mac Davis Show.

1976 - ClassicBands.com July 10 The Starland Vocal Band, the first act to be signed to John Denver's new Windsong label, had the top tune on the Billboard chart with "Afternoon Delight". The song reached #18 in the UK. July 10 After years of trying to find hit material, England Dan and John Ford Coley reach the Billboard Hot 100 with, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight". The single will rise to number two in North America and sell over two million copies. 1979 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Chuck Berry is sentenced to four months in prison for income-tax evasion. In 1973, he short-changed Uncle Sam $200,000. 1986 - ClassicBands.com July 10 The Grateful Dead 's Jerry Garcia goes into a diabetic coma. He recovered and was released from hospital three weeks later on his 44th birthday. 2000 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Promoters cancel the remainder of a Supremes reunion tour due to poor ticket sales.

The tour featured Diana Ross without Mary Wilson or Cindy Birdsong, who refused to join due to the little money they were offered. 2007 - ClassicBands.com July 10 Arista Records announced a September release date for Barry Manilow 's next album, "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies". This was his third volume of decade-driven, covers albums, the first two of which sold nearly 1.7 million copies in the United States combined. 2008 - ClassicBands.com July 10 59-year-old Olivia Newton-John married 49-year old Australian entrepreneur, John Easterling, in a small wedding at her Malibu, California home. 2010 - ClassicBands.com July 10 A US judge drastically reduced a $675,000 US verdict against a Boston University graduate student charged with illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs. The student admitted in court to downloading songs between 1999 and 2007 and a jury assessed the damage award last July.

The US District Court judge in Boston cut the damage award to $67,500, stating the original fine was "unconstitutionally excessive" and "wholly out-of-proportion." 2011 - ClassicBands.com July 10 A pub in Dundee, Scotland called Lennon's Bar was forced to change the name of the venue and remove all Beatles memorabilia after Yoko Ono threatened legal action for copyright infringement. 2015 - ClassicBands.com July 10 John Fogerty filed a breach of contract lawsuit against two of his former Creedence Clearwater Revival band mates, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, alleging that the pair were not honoring their earlier agreement that the name could only be used when the pair appeared on stage together. Alan Freed or Beyonce? False debate rages around Rock Hall - LA Times Alan Freed or Beyonce? False debate rages around Rock Hall Beyonce Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times Beyoncé at her "On the Run" tour stop with hubby Jay Z at the Rose Bowl on Sunday. Beyoncé at her "On the Run" tour stop with hubby Jay Z at the Rose Bowl on Sunday. (Lawrence K.

Ho / Los Angeles Times) Lorraine Ali Contact Reporter A change of exhibits at the Rock Hall sets up a seeming clash of past vs. present, but it's not that simple An exhibit featuring an urn filled with the late DJ Alan Freed ’s ashes was recently removed from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, just a week or so after Beyoncé’s wardrobe moved in. The overlapping events birthed the idea that revered rock history has been tossed out of the museum to make room for Bey’s Givenchy purple feather mermaid gown. “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ousts DJ Alan Freed's ashes, adds Beyoncé’s leotards” read CNN’s headline. “Rock music is constantly reinventing itself,” stated a piece in Billboard, “such that even the style's initial promoter, Alan Freed, must eventually step aside to make room for Beyoncé.” Freed had a radio show in 1950s Cleveland on which he’s credited with popularizing the term rock 'n' roll. But more important, he was an avid R&B fan who played a major role in exposing the work of black artists to white audiences, essentially desegregating the airwaves.

Freed died in 1965 at age 43. There’s no clear indication from the museum or Freed’s family that his ashes were removed as a direct result of Ms. Carter’s stage costumes moving in. That narrative -- Pop Diva Tramples Rock History! – is a product of interpretation, and that dynamic in itself tells you a lot about where attitudes still lie when it comes to choosing who’s worthy of R-E-S-P-E-C-T. (Lorraine Ali) The museum, which features other nods to Freed, including representation in its Architects of Rock and Roll exhibit, said the decision was a matter of changing standards. “The museum world is moving away from exhibiting remains" Executive Director Greg Harris told CNN. "Museum community colleagues across the country agree." “I’m more than disappointed,” Lance Freed told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in reference to the museum’s decision. “After 12 years, we thought this was going to be his final resting place.” Lance Freed’s disappointment is understandable. He wants his father's memory and contributions honored in a meaningful -- and permanent -- way. On the Run tour lands at Rose Bowl (Lawrence K.

Ho/Los Angeles Times) But the consensus that Beyoncé somehow sullied sacred ground is as predictable as it is puzzling. After all, her crossover fame is at least partly due to groundwork laid by Freed. She rules the pop world – black and white – because (a) she's good and (b) barriers were broken decades before the 32-year-old singer was born. In another era, she likely would have been relegated to Billboard’s “Race Records” charts, music by African American artists for African American listeners, or the segregated world of “black music.” Freed – along with plenty of other pioneers including Ruth Brown, Little Richard and Berry Gordy -- were instrumental in moving those boundaries. The fact that Beyoncé is now being honored by an institution that’s been criticized for not representing enough female or R&B and hip-hop artists is a good thing, and there’s no evidence her inclusion came at the expense of Freed’s place in its halls. Beyoncé's inclusion simply happened to overlap with Freed’s exit. In a sense, what better way to honor the man who helped make moments like this one happen?

Rock Hall of Fame boots DJ Alan Freed’s ashes - NY Daily News Rock and Roll Hall of Fame boots out DJ Alan Freed’s ashes Rock Hall of Fame boots DJ Alan Freed’s ashes The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland reportedly asked the family of legendary DJ Alan Freed to collect the late radio personality’s ashes, which were on display. (George Rose/Getty Images) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, August 4, 2014, 4:50 PM The family of pioneering rock 'n' roll deejay Alan Freed has been told to haul his ashes out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Freed, who died in 1965 and is widely credited with popularizing the term "rock 'n' roll," started his radio career in Cleveland, where the Hall of Fame is located. But the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Hall has told Freed's family having his ashes on display there was just a little too creepy.

Lance Freed, Alan's son, told the Plain Dealer that Hall Executive Director Greg Harris said to him, "There's something strange, people walk past the exhibit and your dad's ashes and they scratch their heads and can't figure out what this thing is, and we'd like you to come pick up the ashes." Alan Freed was a WABC disc jockey in New York in April 1957. (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS) Harris told the paper that the Hall still "loves" Alan Freed and will keep all his artifacts except the ashes. He said that when the Freed family moved the ashes from Hartsdale, N.Y., to the Hall in 2002, the plan all along was that they would be returned. Lance Freed said that his father's other artifacts are being moved to a different part of the Hall — "pushed aside," as he phrased it. A selection of Alan Freed posters are stored at the library and archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. (Tony Dejak/ASSOCIATED PRESS) Freed started his rock 'n' roll career in Cleveland in the early 1950s.

He called himself Moondog and hosted what is often called the first rock 'n' roll concert with his 1952 Moondog Coronation Ball. He came to New York in 1954 and was one of the leading DJs, along with others like Dr. Jive and Hal Jackson, in the early explosion of rock 'n' roll. He left New York after being ensnared in the payola scandal of 1959. He worked briefly in Miami before he died in 1965 at the age of 43. Tags: Cleveland readies for rock 'n' roll party - The Boston Globe Music Cleveland readies for rock 'n' roll party Metallica (James Hetfield, left, and Kirk Hammett) will be among the inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. (JUSTINE HUNT/GLOBE STAFF/FILE) | Text size – + CLEVELAND - The city that bills itself as the birthplace of rock 'n' roll is going through some rocky times of its own. Cleveland's foreclosure rates are alarmingly high, unemployment is skyrocketing, its steel mills are going idle and federal officials are investigating alleged government corruption.

A high-flying rock party might be just the distraction this troubled city needs. Tomorrow, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremonies in the city where it is based for the first time in more than a decade. A week's worth of events are leading up to the induction of heavy metal band Metallica, rap pioneers Run-DMC, soul singer Bobby Womack, guitarist and former Yardbirds member Jeff Beck, and rhythm & blues doo-wop group Little Anthony and the Imperials. "These are difficult times and Cleveland has a chip on its shoulder," Rock Hall Director Terry Stewart said. "The idea is to do a great job this time and everybody will say let's do it again." Although the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland, the induction ceremony usually is held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the city where the hall's foundation is based. The foundation tentatively has agreed to let Cleveland host the event every three years, if this year's ceremony is successful and funding is available. The last time Cleveland hosted the ceremony was in 1997.

The tab for this year's ceremony is an estimated $5 million, with most of the money coming from Cleveland, civic organizations, and sponsors. The city is putting on the glitz to make sure it will be ready when the spotlight hits it this weekend. Already, $500,000 has been spent to spruce up downtown's 87-year-old Public Hall, the site of the ceremony. Cleveland is also making a greater effort to clean downtown streets of litter and debris. The induction ceremony will give the city a chance to temporarily set aside its troubles and remind the music world of Cleveland's key role in the creation of rock 'n' roll. Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed in the 1950s is widely credited with popularizing the music and the term rock 'n' roll. Legendary bands in their early years, including the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, made sure to sample that fan base with Cleveland appearances. British rock star Ian Hunter even paid homage to the city with the song "Cleveland Rocks," which later became the theme for "The Drew Carey Show," which had some scenes and its storyline set in Cleveland.

Cleveland's importance to rock music became a reason why the hall's New York foundation erected the steel and glass triangular shrine here in 1995. Stewart regularly hears criticism of an out-of-town induction ceremony, most often when he's trying to raise money in Cleveland. Concerns increased last year, when a Rock Hall Annex opened in New York. Stewart said the Annex was designed to display some exhibits and to make the hall generally more well known and isn't a test to see if New York might be a better location. Henry LoConti, 79, who in 1966 opened one of Cleveland's more well known rock music performance nightclubs, the Agora, is among those relieved that the ceremony has returned to the city. "It adds legitimacy to the fact that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is here," he said. © Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. LOG IN TO COMMENT OR TO SEE OUR NEW FEATURES YOU MUST LOG IN to see all of the features available on our new Personal Pages. Want to automatically create your own Personal Page? Just add a comment and click on your screen name. Sorry, we could not find your e-mail or password.

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Question: Who was credited with popularizing the term rock 'n' roll?
Answer: Alan Freed