Which DJ was inducted as a non-performer in the Rock Hall's first class?

Alan Freed was the DJ inducted as a non-performer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s first class, in 1986.

Freed became nationally famous through radio, especially his Cleveland show on WJW, where he championed rhythm and blues for a young, racially mixed audience. He is widely credited with popularizing the phrase “rock and roll” as a name for the emerging musical style, although the term existed before his broadcasts.

His 1952 Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland is often described as the first major rock-and-roll concert. Freed also helped expose Black performers to mainstream listeners, but his career later suffered because of the payola scandal. He died in 1965, well before the Hall opened.

The 1986 inaugural class also recognized behind-the-scenes figures such as record executive Sam Phillips. That broader category can cause confusion, but among the answer choices, Freed is the only inducted pioneering disc jockey.