Annotated Bibliography
Altschuler, Glenn C. All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America . Oxford: Oxford UP,
2003. Print.
In Glenn C. Altschuler’s non-fiction book, All Shook Up: How Rock ‘N’ Roll Changed
America
, he discusses how Rock ‘n’ Roll allowed American youth to begin questioning race and gender relations, sexuality, as well as the clash between pop culture and the new rock scene. Altshuler employs both an analysis of primary sources and narrative format to make a strong argument for how Rock ‘n’ Roll music affected and ultimately changed
America in the 1950’s and beyond. Overall the book provides a great introduction to the broader topic of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1950’s by being extremely readable and understandable with many examples of recognizable big name musicians of the era and how they changed rock music and society for years to come.
Behrman, Anita. "What Alan Freed Really Thinks About Rock 'n' Roll." People Oct. 1958: 20-
27. Web. 9 July 2014.
In Anita Beherman’s original article from People magazine titled "What Alan Freed
Really Thinks About Rock 'n' Roll" she interviews legendary disc jockey Alan Freed in
1958. In Behrman’s interview, she asks Freed about how he thought up the name “Rock
‘n’ Roll”, his thoughts on Elvis, and asked Freed why he thinks religious and community leaders dislike Rock music. The article provides readers with a great primary source about the life and thoughts of Alan Freed.
Fairchild, Charles. "Alan Freed Still Casts a Long Shadow: The Persistence of Payola and the
Ambiguous Value of Music." Academia.edu
. N.p., 2012. Web. 09 July 2014.
On Charles Fairchild’s website he writes the piece "Alan Freed Still Casts a Long
Shadow: The Persistence of Payola and the Ambiguous Value of Music" in which he discusses Alan Freed’s involvement in the state and federal investigation of the payola scandal in 1959-1960. Fairchild’s piece analyzes the evidence provided in defense and against Freed’s payola claim. He also explores other popular disc jockeys at the time like
Dick Clark and the unequal punishments handed down by the U.S. Congressional
Subcommittee and New York District Court. Fairchild’s text is on an academic website and he skillfully sheds light on the payola scandal of the 1950’s and how payola is still around today except in a new form of marketing.
Fong-Torres, Ben. "Biography." The Official Alan Freed Website . N.p., 2008. Web. 09 July
2014.
Ben Fong-Torres writes on The Official Alan Freed Website the biography of Alan Freed from his beginnings in Cleveland, to his national programing in New York and abroad and his ultimate demise because of the payola investigation. The website is supported and funded by the remaining family members of Alan Freed and provides a specific untarnished view of Freed throughout much of his career. Fong-Torres’s writing provides

a detailed account of Freed’s life and interaction with artists of the time. The website also connects readers to audio and video primary sources as well as other texts written on the subject.
Jackson, John A. Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock & Roll . New York:
Schirmer, 1991. Print.
John Jackson’s non-fiction text Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock
& Roll was the first comprehensive biography of disc jockey Alan Freed written following his death. The text provides an in-depth analysis of Freed’s life and his legacy on the music genre he founded. The text provides detailed primary source quotations taken from conversations and radio programs that Freed conducted. Jackson’s text is frequently quoted in other novels and websites and is seen as the baseline for all information related to the life and times of Alan Freed.
N.A., "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum." Alan Freed Biography . The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., 2014. Web. 09 July 2014.
This website is the official site for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and provides a brief biography on Alan Freed. The site has no cited author however, discusses
Freed’s cultural impact on importance in the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The site explains how
Freed was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 in the first inducted class as well as his contributions to Rock music that warranted his induction. The Rock Hall also has an independent Rock library and archives that has papers and other artifacts that belonged to Alan Freed. The Rock Hall is the final resting place for Alan Freed whose ashes are found in the museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
N.A., "Rock 'N' Roll Beat." 208 Viewers Guide Magazine 1956: n. pag. Web. 9 July 2014.
The 208 Viewers Guide Magazine was a popular Radio and TV guide used throughout
Western Europe during the 1950’s. Although this piece does not have a cited author, the primary source originally published in 1956 discusses Alan Freed’s Radio Luxembourg
Rock Show that was played from a pirate radio station that could be heard in the UK,
France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The magazine praises Freed’s Rock radio program and discusses its popularity among Europe’s youth. Freed is often credited for planting the seeds for future Rock music by recording this program for Europe which would end up inspiring artists like Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Pete
Townshend.The text provided a solid primary source to trace Alan Freed's lasting legacy in Rock music.
Szatmary, David P. Rockin' in Time: A Social History of Rock-and-roll . Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 2000. Print.
David Szatmary’s textbook Rockin' in Time: A Social History of Rock-and-roll is one of the cornerstones of rock history textbooks that chronologically traces the history of Rock music from early Blues and Tin Pan Alley tunes, to 1950’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, to the British

Invasion, Psychedelic, Punk Rock scene and beyond. The text specifically focuses on
Rock’s societal impacts between 1940-1990. Through primary sources and discussion of well known performers readers are able to see how Rock music changed societies views on race, sex, drugs, war, love, and pop culture throughout the decades.
Talevski, Nick. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Alan Freed, Cleveland and the Origins of Rock and Roll . N.p.: n.p., 1998. Print.
In Nick Talevski’s novel
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Alan Freed, Cleveland and the Origins of Rock and Roll he specifically discusses Cleveland, Ohio’s role in the formation of Rock ‘n’ Roll music. In his novel, Talevski provides detailed accounted of
Alan Freed’s beginnings in Cleveland, his coining of “Rock ‘n’ Roll” and the planning of the first rock concert and the subsequent first rock concert riot that followed. Talevski provides photos of Cleveland during the 1950’s and describes why Cleveland became the crucible of Rock music during the 1950’s. His novel also discusses other influences that
Cleveland, Ohio has had on Rock music throughout the latter part of the 20 th
Century.