Carter Alan, disc jockey and writer, began his career at MIT’s all-volunteer radio station, WMBR, before joining WBCN in 1979. Within a year he was heading up the station’s annual battle of the local bands, the WBCN Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble. He became music director at the station in 1986 and remained in that position until 1998, when he moved to ‘BCN’s sister station, WZLX, where he’s currently the assistant program director and the host of the midday show and Sunday Morning Blues.
OUTSIDE IS AMERICA, U2: THE ROAD TO POP, LIFE ON THE ROAD
Carter can lay claim to introducing U2 to America. In 1980, when the group was almost entirely unknown outside of the UK, he discovered and played “I Will Follow” from the band’s debut album, Boy, which became a hit at WBCN. He went on to befriend the members of the group and write two definitive books on the band: Outside is America (Faber & Faber, 1992) and U2: The Road to Pop (Faber & Faber, 1997). In 1998, he co-authored Life on the Road – the Incredible Rock and Roll Adventures of Dinky Dawson (Billboard Books), the colorful story of an English roadie cum sound-system designer who moved to Massachusetts and worked with dozens of household names including Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan and The Byrds.
RADIO FREE BOSTON, DECIBEL DIARIES, BILLBOARD AWARDS
Carter’s fourth book, Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN (University Press of New England, 2013) is a detailed overview of the groundbreaking Boston radio station that was dissolved by CBS Radio in 2009. His fifth and most recent publication is Decibel Diaries: A Story of Rock in 50 Concerts (Foredge, 2017).
Winner of multiple Music Director of the Year awards from Billboard magazine, Carter has interviewed countless artists and emceed rock shows across New England. Throughout his illustrious career, his passion for music has remained nonpareil.
(by Oedipus)
