American History 101: America's First Rock 'N' Roll Riot- Sixty Years Ago

Many think that the rock era began in 1955 with Bill Haley and The Comet's hit 'Rock Around The Clock' but- according to this story from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)- rock 'n' roll's "first" concert ended in a riot.


It was Friday- March 21- 1952 (your 'Captain' was still in production!) in Cleveland- Ohio and the show was MCed by legendary rock radio DJ Alan Freed.


Freed had a wildly-popular nighttime radio show on Cleveland AM radio station WJW-AM 850 where he played rhythm and blues (R&B) records to a passionate- mostly-young radio audience.


The concert was coined the "Moondog Coronation Ball" and featured R & B acts promoted and played by Freed.


A "small printing error" on the tickets brought an estimated 20000 people to the Cleveland Arena- a building that only could safety hold half that number- according to the BBC story.


Thousands who showed up found the arena filled and the doors locked- and that began rock 'n' roll's first concert riot as told in the story by the BBC writer Jude Sheerin.

CSW BREAKING: Male Victim in Critical Condition After South Kansas City Shooting

According to KC-MO Police and EMS reports- a "19-year-old male" is in critical condition after at least three- and possibly as many as five gunshot wounds were inflicted on him in the Ruskin Heights area of south Kansas City.


The shooting occurred around midnight in the 7300 block of Ruskin Way and as of this blog- police had not released any possible suspect information.


The victim was reported by KCFD-ems to have been shot "in the left shoulder- neck and ear" as well as his "left abdomen" and was arriving at a Metro hospital just seconds prior to this post.