Albert James “Alan” Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout North America and the world.
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In 1986, Freed was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His “role in breaking down racial barriers in U.S. pop culture in the 1950s, by leading white and black kids to listen to the same music, put the radio personality ‘at the vanguard’ and made him ‘a really important figure'”, according to the executive director. Freed was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. The organization’s website posted this note: “He became internationally known for promoting African-American rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll”.