Al Aronowitz, one of the first professional journalists to cover rock 'n' roll, died on Monday in Elizabeth, N.J. He was 77.

The cause was cancer, said his son Joel Roi Aronowitz.

In columns and reviews for The New York Post and in feature articles for The Saturday Evening Post and elsewhere, Mr. Aronowitz covered the arrival of the Beatles in the United States, the early years of Bob Dylan, the Brill Building songwriters and other central figures of the 1960's and 70's. He wrote in a smooth yet informal voice and frequently included himself in the story, an early proponent of the participatory style later called New Journalism.

"He was basically the closest we came to Ralph Gleason," said Robert Christgau, the longtime critic and editor at The Village Voice, referring to the San Francisco jazz and rock journalist who was a founding editor of Rolling Stone. "And as a writer," Mr. Christgau added, "he was better than Gleason."

Mr. Aronowitz formed friendships with many musicians, and in the annals of rock history is best known for introducing the Beatles to Mr. Dylan in a hotel room in New York on Aug. 28, 1964, a date that, not coincidentally, was also the Beatles' introduction to marijuana.

Never modest about his connections and influence, Mr. Aronowitz noted that the meeting was pivotal.

"The Beatles' magic was in their sound," he wrote. "Bob's magic was in his words. After they met, the Beatles' words got grittier, and Bob invented folk-rock."

Born in Bordentown, N.J., Mr. Aronowitz graduated from Rutgers University in 1950 with a journalism degree and worked at several newspapers in New Jersey before moving to The New York Post.

In 1959, assigned by an editor to write an article critical of the Beats, he was instead charmed by their lifestyle and dedication to their art. He wrote a 12-part series on the Beats and became fast friends with Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.

"He was one of the first to treat these people as serious American writers," said Gerald Nicosia, the author of "Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac."

In the early 60's Mr. Aronowitz wrote long articles for The Saturday Evening Post that studied the pop music business and the personalities behind it. In 1963 he wrote about Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Don Kirschner and other kingpins of teen pop, and in March 1964 he wrote about the arrival of the Beatles in the United States, describing the throngs of fans and reporters who followed the band wherever it went.

Later in the 60's, Mr. Aronowitz wrote a widely read column for The New York Post called Pop Scene. In 1972 he was fired from that newspaper for conflicts of interest, his son said; he had been managing rock acts. His wife, Ann, died of cancer that year. He did not have another job in journalism, and he long struggled with drug addiction.

In recent years Mr. Aronowitz resurfaced with a voluminous Web site, called The Blacklisted Journalist, that contained reminiscences about the 60's and extensive contributions by other writers. He also self-published two books, "Bob Dylan and the Beatles" and "Bobby Darin Was a Friend of Mine." When he died he was working on a third, "Mick and Miles," about Mick Jagger and Miles Davis.

Besides his son Joel, of Elizabeth, he is survived by another son, Myles Mason Aronowitz of Nyack, N.Y.; a daughter, Brett Hillary Aronowitz of Los Angeles; two sisters, Irene Kramer of Cranford, N.J., and Pearl Becker of Verona, N.J.; two grandchildren; and his companion, Ida Becker.