Behind the Music

Episode Synopsis

He was the first person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but many music fans still don't know his name. Alan Freed was a superstar disc jockey in the days when there was no such thing. He helped launch the careers of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Freed used his radio show to play songs by black artists and expose them to a white audience. He became the highest-rated DJ at WINS-AM in New York. But when he refused to deny accepting payola (playing records for cash), he was fired from his job and took a nose dive that led him into a life-long battle with alcohol. Freed died lonely and broke in early 1965 at the age of 42.