The Book of George
The Early Years
The Joy of Music
George Freeman has music in his soul. He credits his love of song, dance, and the human connection they make possible to his mother, Selma. A hotel maid and single mother, Selma encouraged her children to seek joy in music.
Growing up in Spokane, Washington, George Freeman and his sister were regular entertainers at a young age, dancing for the crowd at the famous Harlem Club. Unique in its time, the Harlem Club was a gathering place for people of all races, religions, and economic backgrounds. Known for its flashing “Dine-Dance” electric sign, the club gave the Freeman kids a chance to practice their steps, as well as make money to help support their family.
Six Saints Orchestra
As a teenager, George was the drummer with the Six Saints Orchestra. After several gigs and a few minor television appearances, George was hired to drum at the storied Spokane restaurant Virgil’s Chicken Shack. Starting at 10:00 pm, Virgil’s became an after-hours destination for live music and dancing. Here, George met some of his musical heroes, like the Benny Goodman Band.
Throughout his life, George has carried that same pure love of song and dance, whether as a kid at the Harlem Club, a drummer with the Six Saints Orchestra as a high school student, nightclub owner, or minister for the Universal Life Church.
George Freeman, Kindergarten
George Freeman, 3rd Grade
Six Saints Orchestra, Virgil's Chicken Shack, High School
Military Police, Oberammergau, Germany
Military Service
For George Freeman and many young men like him growing up in the shadow of World War II, military service was one of the most honorable paths to success. George joined the Washington State National Guard at 16, continuing after graduation with the US Army for several years through a military career that took him around the country and the world.
George was a top student at the USA Military Police Academy at the US military installation at Oberammergau in southern Germany. When he returned to America, he served at Fort Dix in New Jersey, Fort Benning in Georgia, and Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Having grown up in Washington State, where Jim Crow segregation laws weren’t in effect, George’s military service in Georgia and North Carolina was his first direct experience with these highly racist policies. It was the first time he had been forced to use segregated facilities from those given to white people, to sit in different parts of public spaces, and lose rights to fair treatment. In contrast to the diverse crowds he had known at the Harlem Club and Virgil’s in Spokane, George, and the other black troops weren’t even allowed to attend Army dance socials.
1st Army HQ, Governs Island, NYC, Soldiers of the Month
Special Forces, US Army, Fort Brag, NC
Moving On
George saw the end of his time in the military in the early 1960s when the world was in a period of significant change. It was during one of the most iconic events of the era, Rv. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, that George decided to leave the Army. Expecting an unprecedented crowd, the US military sent soldiers to oversee the march and the famous “I Have a Dream” speech that followed, but no black soldiers were permitted to serve at the event, their loyalty in doubt just because of the color of their skin. George finished his term of service and left military life, seeking work and a new start in New York City.
After moving to New York City, George worked as a salesman with a plastics company. This eventually led him to a job at the radio station WOR, for what began as a sales call to sell the station plastic bags for promotional totes quickly turned into an interview for the station’s sales department.
Disco and WOR
With the rise of disco music and its appeal to New York’s increasingly diverse population, George took the initiative to create a new format for WOR incorporating this new, popular music. WOR decided to shelve the format, but George wasn’t done with disco. It was during this era that George entered the world of party promotion. He first hosted gatherings at his own apartment, funded with entertainment allowances from WOR. However, the crowds at these parties – made up of a mix of George’s sales clients, his friends, and the elite after-hours circles of New York – quickly grew too large for the limited space.
George Freeman, John A. Gambling, WOR
Galaxy 21
George’s parties soon moved to the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Greenwich Village. These popular gatherings mixed the elegance of the hotel’s grand ballroom with disco-inflected designs and modern art. The DJ spun Motown hits and early disco tracks.
Galaxy 21 quickly became one of the true hot spots in the New York club scene. With multiple themed rooms, an art gallery, and famous DJs backing up a uniquely powerful sound system, the club attracted large crowds right from the start.
Prominent guests included Jack Nicholson, Cher, the original Broadway cast of Rocky Horror Show, Motown songwriters Nick and Valerie Simpson, the Rolling Stones, and more. However, the demographic makeup of the crowd shifted over time. After its opening, Galaxy lost some of its diversity and evolved into a primarily Puerto Rican club.
The Tomorrow Show
In 1976, George was presented with an opportunity to bring diversity back to the club. Someone from the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder on NBC called Freeman about doing a nationally-televised show from a gay nightclub. Television at the time was not openly gay-friendly, so this was an unbelievable opportunity. Tom Snyder wanted to discuss gay entrepreneurship and the rising gay market, and he thought it would be ideal to do the show live from Galaxy 21.
The only problem with NBC’s offer was that they had to finish filming by 7:30 pm to make the 10:30 pm live broadcast after the “Johnny Carson Show.” George met with the Galaxy staff and devised a plan to make this happen. NBC wanted live dancers, and with his party-planning experience in the disco dance era, George had plenty of connections. He also asked his friends from the Harkness Dance Center, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and Joffrey Ballet to come and dance live at the Galaxy.
Freeman immediately recognized this publicity opportunity as a way to restore the initial popularity of the nightclub among all New Yorkers. With this in mind, he printed 1,000 embossed fliers to promote the live show and gave out 30-day VIP “fresh face” passes to select guests to bring in new patrons and inject new energy into the club. The show was a tremendous success; not only did the NBC live national broadcast promote Galaxy 21 as a popular nightclub, but the exposure caused the club’s demographics to shift back to its original diversified identity within six weeks.
Tom Snyder on "The Tomorrow Show"
The Early Years
The Joy of Music
George Freeman has music in his soul. He credits his love of song, dance, and the human connection they make possible to his mother, Selma. A hotel maid and single mother, Selma encouraged her children to seek joy in music.
George Freeman, Kindergarten
Growing up in Spokane, Washington, George Freeman and his sister were regular entertainers at a young age, dancing for the crowd at the famous Harlem Club. Unique in its time, the Harlem Club was a gathering place for people of all races, religions, and economic backgrounds. Known for its flashing “Dine-Dance” electric sign, the club gave the Freeman kids a chance to practice their steps, as well as make some money to help support their family.
George Freeman, 3rd Grade
Six Saints Orchestra
As a teenager, George was the drummer with the Six Saints Orchestra. After several gigs and even a few small television appearances, George was hired to drum at the storied Spokane restaurant, Virgil’s Chicken Shack. Starting at 10:00 pm, Virgil’s turned into an after-hours destination for live music and dancing. It was here that George got the chance to meet some of his musical heroes, like the Benny Goodman Band.
Six Saints Orchestra, Virgil's Chicken Shack, High School
Throughout his life, George has carried that same pure love of song and dance, whether it was as a kid at the Harlem Club, a drummer with the Six Saints Orchestra as a high school student, a nightclub owner, or a minister for the Universal Life Church.
Military Service
For George Freeman and many young men like him growing up in the shadow of World War II, military service was one of the must honorable paths to success. George joined the Washington State National Guard at the age of 16, continuing after graduation with the U.S. Army for several years through a military career that took him around the country and the world.
Military Police, Oberammergau, Germany
George was a top student at the USA Military Police Academy at the US military installation at Uberammergau in southern Germany. When he returned to America, he served at Fort Dix in New Jersey, Fort Benning in Georgia, and Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
1st Army HQ, Governs Island, NYC, Soldiers of the Month
Having grown up in Washington State, where Jim Crow segregation laws weren’t in effect, George’s military service in Georgia and North Carolina was his first direct experience with these highly racist policies. It was the first time he had been forced to use separate facilities from those given to white people, to sit in different parts of public spaces, and lose rights to fair treatment. In contrast to the diverse crowds he had known at the Harlem Club and Virgil’s in Spokane, George and the other black troops weren’t even allowed to attend Army dance socials.
Special Forces, US Army, Fort Brag, NC
Moving On
George saw the end of his time in the military in the early 1960s, when the world was in a period of great changes. It was during one of the most iconic events of the era, Rv. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington, that George decided to leave the Army. Expecting an unprecedented crowd, the U.S. military sent soldiers to oversee the march and the famous “I Have a Dream” speech that followed, but no black soldiers were permitted to serve at the event, their loyalty in doubt just because of the color of their skin. George finished his term of service and left military life, seeking work and a new start in New York City.
After moving to New York City, George took a job as a salesman with a plastics company. This eventually led him to a job the radio station WOR, for what began as a sales call to sell the station plastic bags for promotional totes, quickly turned into an interview in the station’s sales department.
With the rise of disco music and its appeal to New York’s increasingly diverse population, George took the initiative to create a new format for WOR which incorporated this new, popular music. WOR decided to shelve the format, but George wasn’t done with disco. It was during this era that George entered the world of party promotion. He first hosted gatherings at his own apartment funded with entertainment allowances from WOR. However, the crowds at these parties – made up of a mix of George’s sales clients, his friends, and the elite after-hours circles of New York – quickly grew too large for the limited space.
George Freeman, John A. Gambling, WOR
George’s parties soon moved to the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Greenwich Village. These popular gatherings mixed the elegance of the hotel’s grand ballroom with disco-inflected designs and modern art. The DJ spun Motown hits and even early disco tracks.
Galaxy 21 quickly became one of the true hot spots in the New York club scene. With multiple themed rooms, an art gallery, and famous DJs backing up a uniquely powerful sound system, the club attracted large crowds right from the start. Prominent guests included Jack Nicholson, Cher, the original Broadway cast of Rocky Horror Show, Motown songwriters Nick and Valerie Simpson, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, and more. However, the demographic makeup of the crowd shifted over time. After its opening Galaxy lost some of its diversity and evolved into a primarily Puerto Rican club.
In 1976, George was presented with an opportunity to bring the diversity and back to the club. Someone from the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder on NBC called Freeman about doing a nationally-televised show from a gay nightclub. Television at the time was not openly gay-friendly, so this was an unbelievable opportunity. Tom Snyder wanted to discuss gay entrepreneurship and the rising gay market, and he thought it would be ideal to do the show live from Galaxy.
Tom Snyder on "The Tomorrow Show"
The only problem with NBC’s offer was that they had to finish filming by 7:30 pm in order to make the 11:00 pm live broadcast after the “John Carson Show”. George met with the Galaxy staff and came up with a plan to make this happen. NBC wanted live dancers, and with his party-planning experience in the disco dance era, George had plenty of connections. He also asked his friends from the Harkness Dance Center, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and Joffrey Ballet to come dance live at the Galaxy.
Freeman immediately recognized this publicity opportunity as a way to restore the initial popularity of the nightclub among all New Yorkers. With this in mind, he printed 1,000 embossed fliers to promote the live show, and gave out 30-day VIP “fresh face” passes to select guests, with the goal of bringing in new patrons and injecting new energy into the club. The show was a tremendous success; not only did the NBC live national broadcast promote Galaxy 21 as a popular nightclub, but within six weeks the exposure caused the club’s demographics to shift back to its original identity.
