Origins of rock and roll "Rock and Roll" Harris. These songs were generally classed as "race music" or, from the late 1940s, "rhythm and blues", and were barely known by mainstream white audiences. However, in 1951, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed began broadcasting rhythm, blues, and country music for a multi-racial audience. Freed, familiar with the music of earlier decades, used the phrase rock and roll to describe the music he aired over station WJW (850 AM); its use also is credited to Freed's sponsor, record store owner Leo Mintz, who encouraged Freed to play the music on the radio. Originally Freed used the name
The Rock 'n' Roll RPMs due to extensive neck injuries. They had feuds with several teams, including another "Rock 'n' Roll" tag team known as the Rock 'n' Roll Express. The Rock 'n' Roll RPMs went to World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico and feuded with Ron & Chicky Starr over the WWC World Tag Team Championship. The RPMs feuded with The Fantastics over the WCWA Tag Team Championship, however they were unable to win the championship. The RPMs also competed in the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) in Memphis, where they won the American Wrestling Association (AWA)'s Southern Tag Team Championship twice. Teaming with Cactus