You may recognize Alan Freed’s name if you know much about the history of rock and roll, and you’ll definitely recognize the look of this famous DJ’s final resting place. Freed’s memorial headstone is a meticulously hand-carved, iconic Rock-Ola Bubbler jukebox that tells his life’s story and how it relates to music today.
Alan Freed’s son Lance and Rock-Ola’s Glenn Streeter at the jukebox maker’s factory in Torrance, Calif.
Freed’s son, Lance, unveiled the memorial headstone at a ceremony in honor of his father earlier this year. 51 years after Alan Freed’s death, he still drew a crowd with about 400 people attending the ceremony. Freed’s ashes, laid to rest after the recent interment, have had a busy career after his early death at 43, even spending 12-years on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In the December issue on its way to you right now, RePlay, in collaboration with the Mantiques Network, will be diving into Freed and Rock-Ola’s storied history in the first in what will be an ongoing column concerning the “Machines, Myths and Legends” of the coin-op industry. Be sure to read it and look for the Mantiques Network video concerning Rock-Ola going live on our website tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 1).
