F W I W - Thank You For The Music!

n the beginning was the Word. And the word was One word, yet the Word was three words; Rock and Roll. And we saw that it was Good. And the Word was spoken in the beginning by only one man, Alan Freed. And even though Alan Freed spoke the Word first, many there were to come to follow who would also speak the Word. And more and more came to speak the Word until the Word itself became known to all men. And many were that rejoiced in the Word. And there were those who spoke the Word with scorn and with derision, but they were few and they were like ants unto the ocean.

We were blessed to be there at the very beginning. The first born out of a new middle class in America. That new middle class itself born out of the death and destruction of World War II. The so-called G.I. bill, social legislation designed to reward the returning veterans for their sacrifice made it possible for these courageous soldiers to purchase a home or go to college or trade school. This new social class was also the first consumerist class and the economic clout it wielded was awesome. We throw the word 'empowered' around so easily today; it really had it's beginning in the 50's as the economic muscle of industrious Americans who then could fulfill their every material need. And, just as every action brings about an equal re-action, the first of the baby-boomers came into their puberty, the teen (as in between; between childhood and adulthood; the teen-agers) years. This demographic swelled like an oceantide; their numbers were staggering. Given to natural rebellious instincts as they sought to establish their own identity, they were not buying into the social norms of their adults. They sought to make their own way. And by sheer weight of numbers, they succeeded. Movies like "Blackboard Jungle" and "Rebel Without A Cause" sought to depict this boisterous, cocky, defiant, even at times self-conflicted element in our society. It was only natural that these young people wanted their own music, speaking their own language, if you will.

There are those who maintain that "Rock Around The Clock" was the first teen 'anthem', but a song by an obscure group, The Cheers, actually signified the beginning of the Rock era. Titled "A Black Leather Jacket and Motorcycle Boots" it was rushed into production following the movie "The Wild Bunch", starring a young punk named Marlon Brando. The rebellious youth culture had been born.
The convergence of Jazz, Rythm and Blues (also called 'race music), popular ('pop') swing and even country (called 'hillbilly') music were the genesis. Bill Haley and the Comets (who recorded "Rock Around The Clock") were a novelty roadhouse band playing nightly for $25 and tips in the oil-drilling areas of western Pennsylvania when they came to 'instant' stardom.

When Alan Freed moved from Cincinnatti, Ohio to New York to take on the night radio shift at WINS radio, he recognized the instant gut-level power of this new music form. Pounding on a telephone directory in the studio in time with the back-beat, one night he opened his microphone while beating on the directory exulting, "rock and roll", "rock and roll". It wasn't that long a time before the "Alan Freed Rock and Roll Revue" would be happening at the Brooklyn Paramount or Loew's Downtown (Manhattan) theatres. There would be the requisite teen-oriented B-grade movie followed by a dozen or so musical acts like Mother Maybelle, Ruth Brown, The Penquins, The Coasters, The Platters. Those would be followed by headlines such as, "Youth Mobs Dance, Destroy Theatre", or some such. Tearing out entire rows of seats so that they could dance was de jour. And Paramount and the other theatre chains didn't care all that much, their insurance companies paid for repairs while the $20 per seat tickets were equal to three to four day's grosses.

An exhilirating time for a young boy to be alive! Those days are gone now. They've been replaced by yak-yak radio, pre-packaged 'oldies' formats, computer-driven playlists and robot deejays doing totally scripted programming 24/7/365. I guess Elvis (Costello) said it best, "...you either shut up or get cut out; they don't want to hear about it. It's only inches on the reel-to-reel" (from "Radio, Radio" (cr) .

Today is February 1st; just 719 days until the end of the Bush Administration.

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