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Ronnie Wood - Ghost of a Man

Many claim that the defining moment that makes Cleveland the birthplace of rock started back in the early 1950s, with help from radio disc jockey Alan Freed. His radio show on WJW in Cleveland was gaining popularity because of the kind of music he was playing for his mostly white audience.

The music experience in the United States was split in half, by race. White audiences were listening to the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, while African American audiences were listening to rhythm and blues, which was referred to as race music at that time.

Freed became great friends with Leo Mintz, owner of Record Rendezvous record store. Mintz’s store was making waves as one of few places where white people could listen to and purchase race music. Mintz convinced Freed to start playing this music on his radio show, but they changed the genre’s name to a borrowed term from old blues tunes, rock and roll, which was actually a term for fornication.

The results were positively astounding. The audience, particularly white teenagers, were being exposed to a new sound their parents and grandparents often didn’t approve of.


Ronnie Wood - Ghost of a Man
  • Released on: The Ronnie Wood Band & Ron Wood album
  • Genre: Blues
  • Released in: 2021

"Ron Wood, a founding member of the Birds, has been a member of several classic British rock outfits, but the one that he's undoubtedly most associated with is the Rolling Stones, who he's played with since 1976."

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Location: United States

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