Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock and Roll

This is a good book about the life of legendary DJ Alan Freed. His personal life, as a radio and tv host and as promotor of his own concerts around the east coast. His failures seem to have caused his downfall, a terrible riot during a show in Boston for which he was indicted and also payola, receiving money to play records. Both cases cost him a lot of money and pain. He was married three times, unfortunately the last two wives refused to talk to the author. Jackson says that his third wife Inga was also a heavy drinker, which did not help at all. He died in 1965, only 44 years old

I really enjoyed this book. Several personal stories about Alan Freed provide insight into his life. The writer does a good job of explaining the historical events/context that surrounded Freed's life. It's a shame Freed didn't live longer to see what he contributed to popular music.