Freed

On March 21, 1952, the first rock concert - the Moondog Coronation Ball - was held at Cleveland Arena. It was organized by WJW-AM disc jockey Alan Freed, who called his teen listeners "moondoggers." It was Freed who coined the phrase "rock 'n' roll" in 1951 to describe the fast-beat music favored by teens. The only advertising for the event was Freed plugging it on his radio show. No one - not the promoter Lew Pratt nor the sponsor Rendezvous Records - had any idea how many people would attend. They initially printed 7,000 tickets that sold for $1.50 and $1.75. When those sold out, they printed 2,000 more - which sold out in a day.

What they didn't know was that others were also printing tickets. Thirty thousand fans packed the arena, which held 10,000. Another 15,000 fans outside tried to push their way in. Amid frenzied dancing and breaking glass, the fire marshal shut down the concert while Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams was performing the first song. Fans never got to hear the Dominoes, Tiny Grimes or the Rockin' Highlanders, the other bands scheduled to play. The anniversary of the concert is considered the birthday of rock 'n' roll, while Cleveland is deemed its birthplace. Freed was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Rebecca Goodman

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com or call (513) 768-8361.