BIG CITY BLUES January 17 2004 Issue Brief History of NYC Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio: 1955—1964 By Johnny Ace New York City always had the best of everything and New York City and its whole metropolitan area plus the world can thank a young white DJ in Cleveland Ohio, the late Allen Freed, for bringing rock n’ roll to its airways starting in 1955. History was made and now as I write this, there is a Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, which was put in Cleveland because of Allen Freed. “Moon Dog,” as he was called back then was responsible for bringing white and black teenagers together through his radio show and live rock n’ roll package shows as early as 1952. This was a first and showed what kind of power rock n’ roll had—it could and would change things in the world. Allen Freed got a very lucrative offer to do his “Moon Dog” radio show in New York City and he took it. He had to get rid of his “Moon Dog” name as there was a blind NYC street poet/musician called “Moon Dog” who already had the name copy-written—and made a huge stink. Allen Freed decided to use his own name and wound up on 1010 WINS on AM with his Big Beat Rock N’ Roll Dance Party radio program. Then, his rock n’ roll package shows immediately took off with NYC teenagers, young adults and even younger listeners like myself. Allen Freed would play white and black rock n’ roll and it took over all of America by storm. A couple years later, Allen freed even had the short-lived Rock N’ Roll Teen Dance Party TV show that I used to watch along with movies, featuring popular rock n’ roll stars of the time. A couple years later, in 1957, when I was sleeping over at my older cousin Andy’s house—which is a whole story in itself—I discovered what this cool rebellion was all about. Andy who was about fourteen or so was a real teenage rebel with the black motorcycle helmet and jacket, the greasy hair in a DA (Duck’s Ass), the back jeans and the attitude. He walked the walk and talked the talk. His hoodlum friends and their greasy girlfriends would sometimes come by and they’d all hang out in this small cigarette-filled room that had a lot of wine bottles with candles in them for light. There would be many drawings of sexy ladies and cars on the walls and his guitar, bongos and rock ‘n’ roll 45s without sleeves were always cluttered all over the floor. He and his friends would all be constantly blasting records through his tiny little Hi Fi record player. And there were all these comic books and “Mad” magazines in piles or spread out everywhere. It was one night when I was sleeping over, there inside the walls of Andy’s room, that I first heard Jocko Henderson, “The Ace from Outer Space” and his “Rocket Ship Show.” Mercy! For me Jocko was way, way better than Allen Freed. Though Allen Freed started the ball rolling, he was very tame compared to Jocko’s Rocket Ship show. Jocko had a huge voice and personality. His very hip, jive rhythm n’ rhyme rapping plus the great rock n’ roll records, which were mostly all black singing groups like “The Cadillac’s, The Heartbeats, the Cleftones, Harptones,” etc. were amazing. You’d hear Jocko all in perfect voice and rhythm like a great jazz musician-poet, which he was, yell out—“Hey Diddly Yap! This is the Jock and I’m back on the scene with the record machine, sayin’ ‘Oo pa pa doo and how d’ ya do!’ Let me say greetings and salutations Daddyo Mommyo.” Then you’d hear the sound of a rocket ship taking off and Jocko counting off “Five, four, three two one … BLAST OFF! Way, way up into the stratosphere—one hundred eighty six thousand miles—higher, higher! Brace yourself! Here we GO--on the great big rocket ship show! Oo papatine. Here are the valentines!” Then you’d hear the “Woo Woo Train,” an amazingly fast rocker by this great NYC vocal group. The show would just get better and better. And I was never the same. Jocko had a short-lived teen dance TV show along with all his great rock n’ roll live stage shows. Jocko would come out in his space uniform and do his bit before the groups went on. He was great! As the years slowly dragged by Allen Freed in 1959 was taken off the New York City radio and banned for “Payola”—that’s a whole different story. Allen Freed’s heart was broken, his career ruined and he passed away in 1965. Then came Murray Kaufman, AKA “Murray the ‘K’ and His Swingin’ Suaret” on 1010 WINS AM along with his great rock n’ roll stage shows, and they took over New York City and its metropolitan area. From the beginning of rock n’ roll (from 1959—1960) many of the songs that were from the birth of rock and roll were now considered old. Murray the K started calling them “Golden Oldies” or “Oldies,” as Art Lebow, a Los Angeles Rock n’ roll promoter and rock n’ roll label owner also coined them. Jocko and Allen Freed as early as 1958 started making “Oldies” LP’s and that started a new and big business. DJ’s all started playing “Oldies” on their radio shows. Murray the K had a very good voice, not a jive, rhyme -rhythm DJ voice like Jocko’s, but a hipster, cool-type voice. He actually invented his own language and teenagers started to copy him—soon it became the new lingo of the times. As the big money was being made, a lot of the music was loosing its grease and heart and getting very watered down and commercialized. But radio was still a lot of fun to listen to. There was WMCA with “B” Mitchell Reed and there was “Cousin Brucie” on ABC with his live rock n’ roll shows at Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. He was a bit bubble gummish—but the teenagers loved him. In 1961 down in the subway of NYC in Times Square there was Slim Rose who started selling and re-issuing both rare and common rock n’ roll singing group records. He had a very small 30-minute radio show on FM. Also there was the “Time Capsule” show at WFUV from Fordum University in the Bronx, which started in 1963. This was the first radio show to specialize in very rare vocal groups. It is still on today but without its original two DJ’s, Sal Mondrone and Tom Martisane who started the whole collecting craze along with Slim Rose. Blues was never popular in NYC but once in a while late at night I’d hear Bobby Bland, B. B. King or Littler Milton on WWRL. the black station. Then 1964 hit and The Beatles came on the scene and radio, music and life changed all over the world. Murray the K was very smart. He hustled his way onto the new scene by using his popularity to help promote The Beatles on his radio show and by playing their records—which turned my stomach—and by actually interviewing the “Fab Four” from their hotel suite. Murray the K was labeled “The Fifth Beatle,” which he probably made up, but you have to eat. Soul music was now growing and there were now great black soul DJ’s and stations on the airways: Hal Jackson, Frankie Crocker and The Magnificent Montegue from WWRL and WWNJR (from Newark New Jersey). All were great! But my favorite rock n’ roll and singing groups were now a thing of the past. The “British Invasion” and the “Hippie” movement became huge and changed life drastically again. But that’s a whole ‘nother story! For me the rock n’ roll of the 1950’s and early ‘60’ was the Golden Age. Not only was the music great, but also the DJ’s were all very talented and magnetic. Their voices along with the music pulled you right in on a real magical adventure. They loved what they did and that came through the airways into me and thousands of other confused and restless teenagers, young adults and maybe even some grown ups—and the medium was a little tiny radio. Allen Freed, Jocko and Murray the K to us were best friends, even father figures. They were always there. The voices and sounds would lift up your heart and make your troubles float far, far away. They are all gone now but for me they will never ever be forgotten. Ooo Koo Pa Do! All through! Johnny Ace johnnyace@hghstream.net http://www.lemonace.com