[5] When the program moved into syndication, its home base was also shifted to Los Angeles, where it remained for the duration of its run. Aretha Franklin performs on Soul Train alongside the shows creator and host Don Cornelius. The opening sequence showed a black animated locomotive with multicolored smoke coming out of its smokestack, and steam coming out of its sides, passing through a city, tunnel, or through outer space around the Earth. The new opening animation introduces a revised, afrocentric-inspired Soul Train logo, and features video clips of performances from the show's first 22 seasons playing in floating video boxes in the background. Within the structure of the program, there were two enduring elements. He shaped the era of music I celebrate on this edition in so many ways, and he continues to do so today., Of the two hip-hop originators, he says, Kurtis Blow, who was raised in Harlem, was the first hip-hop artist on Soul Train. [25] Subsequent owners of the franchise have followed their own agenda for the program, which included a revival of the Soul Train Music Awards in 2009. It represented Black intellectualism with authors and actors and comedians that appeared on the show. This was because in later years, Nielsen ratings dropped to below 1.0; most of the stations that aired Soul Train by that point were either Fox television affiliates or independent stations that would later become affiliates of The WB or UPN, and, in the process, some of the stations which had been airing Soul Train on Saturday afternoons started rescheduling the program to overnight time slots. Lehman: It let me know that TV could be diverse; it was not impossible, because Soul Train had done it. In April 2008, Don Cornelius announced that year's Soul Train Music Awards ceremony had been canceled. The elder, deep-voiced man who was once a radical at the dawn of the 1970s was now a fossil a decade later, as younger emcees and veejays with their own style and flare took his place. Come in.' According to the Hollywood Reporter, MadVision attempted to revitalize the brand through DVD distribution for classic episodes. I was very proud of my body back then. And Id like that to continue to grow., Coming after a Soul Train special has particular meaning to him, as he grew up a Soul Train junkie. Abdurraqib: The real joy and miracle of Soul Train, I think, is that it was something people could gather and watch every week and feel good about watching every week. A turning point in her relationship with Soul Train came when Don tried to recruit Perez into a female vocal trio along with Cheryl Song and a white dancer-singer. Following the purchase by MadVision, the Soul Train archives were exposed to new forms of distribution. What are you doing right there?' He goes, 'Hip-hop, hip-hop, cool. And none of them stayed long enough to entrench themselves. They would spend hours picking out their outfits. In 1990, Michael Jacksonignored the Grammys but made sure to appear at the Soul Train Awards. It's really, really crazy.". I didn't know what I was going to do. And then he cracked up. [13], All rights and trademarks to the Soul Train brand including the show's extensive library, the annual cruise event, and the award shows are under the ownership of Paramount Global after its Paramount Media Networks division acquired the franchise in 2016. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first and longest-serving host and executive producer.[1]. The program moved its taping location to Hollywood Center Studios, from its previous location at the Charlie Chaplin Studios; the show would remain there through season 22. No other television program at this time period had so expressed Black culture. Whenever Rosie was in doubt about her moves, she would "face dance, just face dance. Soul Train's dancers were the heart of the show. Cornelius admittedly had rap artists on the show only because the genre was becoming popular among his African-American audience, though the decision alienated middle-aged, more affluent African Americans like himself. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. For the first season, artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler, and The Chi-Lites made appearances as, like the dancers, they were based in Chicago. These programsspecifically the latter, which featured a predominantly African Americans group of in-studio dancerswould set the stage for what was to come to the station several years later. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. And that's what I've seen and what I've known from him personally. Even BET formed its own award show. Aside from the six of us, there was nothing even remotely Black about our small New England town. It seemed like Don Cornelius understood that there's a simplicity to access saying, well, outside of this room, this person is one of the biggest musicians on the planet, but inside of this room they're just a community member. Copyright files, vintage TV Guides, and actual videos of the episodes themselves. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [14], Some commentators have called Soul Train a "black American Bandstand", another long-running program with which Soul Train shares some similarities. What Perez thought was silly Don loved, which speaks to their difference in perspective about what good dancing was. In 1987, Soul Train launched the Soul Train Music Awards, which honors the top performances in R&B, hip hop, and gospel music (and, in its earlier years, jazz music) from the previous year. In April 2009, MadVision launched a Soul Train channel on YouTube. Although Pass the Mics are intended as nostalgia trips, some are closer to the present day than others, as the last show, the (post-) BET Awards show, was basically the hip-hop and R&B of the 2000s, with Nelly, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Sean Paul and others. The price and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Men love strong women, plus she's beautiful.". "I was on the side and I started dancing hip-hop," Rosie said. Moore lasted four years as the permanent host for the show and provided some memorable moments dancing while on the program. Now, those weren't the folks we saw, at least not at first. I have a picture of all of us going to a club with my friends from Soul Train. In a BET series of interviews with former dancers about the program, the "Soul Train Dancers" were not specifically named until 1975 when Cornelius and producer Dick Griffey formed Soul Train Records to promote music. Blount Danois: So there was one [episode] with Al Green, and he's mesmerizing to listen to in every way. 1971 -2022. DJ Cassidy isnt devoting all his work to TV now. That wasn't part of any plan. Rosie Perez came out to sun-kissed California from Bushwick, Brooklyn, a burnt out, impoverished neighborhood in a tattered borough, bringing a fierce warrior attitude that was reflected in her take-no-prisoners dancing. It was pretty tough.". A long-running music-and-dance series spotlighting R&B, soul and rap performers. He has a song with Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige on Snoops new album, Algorithm, coming out Friday on Def Jam. But I'd look stupid.". Finally, in 1997 on the 27th season, a permanent host was decided on in comedian Mystro Clark. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It was at that time we would drop whatever we were doing and gather in the family den to watch Soul Train. ET. When asked why sell it, Cornelius replied, "thirty-five years is a long time." This year he also put together the music for a Tommy Hilfiger Pass the Mic global campaign dedicated to celebrating up-and-coming artists, including Jack Harlow, Anthony Ramos and others. Perhaps most famously this past year, BET specials notwithstanding, he was invited by the Biden/Harris inaugural committee to do two versions of Pass the Mic for virtual inauguration festivities, one for the Celebrate America concert and another for the Parade Across America special. It represented Black artistic talent that didn't have a national platform, but [which] Black people knew existed locally in their neighborhoods. When Rosie came, I think that some of the other dancers were a bit intimidated, and they weren't friendly or kind to her. hide caption. The line was when the dancers on the program formed two lines with a large space in the middle to allow different dancers to dance down the opening. She got that fire. think about how global that is, that people form a line at nightclubs, parties, celebrations around the world, and many people dont even know its origin. So we all got to go, and that's how I got on Soul Train. Much like Jody Watley and other popular Soul Train dancers, her sudden TV celebrity led to a lot of real-world hostility. 'SWAT' In 2019, Deadline reported that a Soul Train musical was in development and set to premiere on Broadway in 2021 (this prior toBroadway's cancellation of shows through May of 2021 because of Covid-19). Rosie had wisely brought a sexier change of clothes. But after the tracks were laid down, Cornelius the Conductor picked up his skinny mic and rode the train into the households of the new America, providing the nation with the greatest Black music of the era. [20], Rosie Perez, Damita Jo Freeman, Darnell Williams, Cheryl Song, Louie "Ski" Carr, Alfie Lewis, Pat Davis ("Madam Butterfly"), Alise Mekhail, Andrea N. Miles, Carmen Electra, Nick Cannon, Vivica A. [citation needed] Beginning in Season 15 (1985-1986), Tribune Entertainment acquired the syndication contract; Tribune Entertainment continued producing Soul Train until the end of the show's run on March 25, 2006. She even worked with the ultimate diva, Diana Ross. In hindsight I understood why they were jealous. According to her, the program was about the connections made by appearing on the weekly program and showing off your dance moves. Soul Train | Where to Stream and Watch | Decider On Soul Train When that arrangement proved too stressful, Rosie began working part-time jobs while attending classes in three different LA-area universities as a biochemistry major. WebSelf - Host 558 episodes 19711993 Diana Puskas 1973-1980 Queen Turner Self - Dancer 112 episodes 19721978 Carole Creekmore Self 109 episodes 19721976 I want you to teach him that.' It was produced by Anjuli Sastry and Liam McBain. This disconnect, which was openly mocked in an In Living Color sketch titled Old Train, where Cornelius and the show were lampooned as extremely old and out of touch, eventually led to Cornelius stepping down as host in the early 1990s, and the show losing its influence. Johnson said, "No, really," and handed her his card. Shemar Moore was pretty consistent. Soon, the program moved to national syndication. That being said, Dick Clark attempted to stretch his grip on music television into traditionally Black genres with his show, Soul Unlimited. Advertisement. Also, as music trends and younger audiences came to age, Don Cornelius was seen as a relic. My only connection to other Black folk happened every Saturday at 5 p.m. on WPIX's Channel 11 out of New York City. That didn't exactly charm Perez. To be able to see others that looked like us was truly a beautiful experience. Despite this, dancers and the rest of America flocked to Soul Train to watch the best dancers show their new moves and listen to Black music. As rap continued to move further toward hardcore hip hop, Cornelius admitted to being frightened by the antics of groups such as Public Enemy. Actor Shemar Moore Used to Host 'Soul Train,' But Some of His Three guest hosts replaced him: comic Mystro Clark (1997-1999), actor Shemar Moore (1999-2003), and actor/playwright Dorian Gregory, the final host, from 2003 until "Her girls and her used to change, sleep over, and go to the next show," Carr said. Peter Murray (Soul Train fan): I grew up in 1970s Rutland, Vt. We were a Black family of five my parents, older brother and younger sister. Perez, who had come from a New York City street dance aesthetic where unisex sportswear was the norm, arrived at the studio in jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt, and staffers told her it wasn't proper Soul Train attire. DJ Cassidy, the host with the most classic R&B and hip-hop stars in his contacts book, will return to BET Thanksgiving weekend with another in his series of Pass the Mic specials, this time devoted to the dance-based music of the late 1970s and 80s. Chambers: We became family, we became bonded. Black music had become more mainstream, and many younger artists snubbed the Soul Train Awards for more mainstream shows. Blount Danois: Soul Train was one of the first national shows to showcase Black joy and our everyday lives on television. Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell are returning as co-hosts for the third consecutive year Arnold and Campbell have been the co-hosts of the show since 2018. Abdurraqib: I think places that did not pick up on the syndication at first very quickly realized there are markets where there is a real hunger for a show like Soul Train. Marvin Gaye gets into the crowd for a memorable performance of "Let's Get It On" on Soul Train in 1974. For almost 40 years, Soul Train took viewers on a funky, melodic, and exuberant ride every Saturday morning. Don was like, "No, no, no. He said, Will you come, will you show up on Saturday? When you think about the exposure that gave to a new culture and a new music, its kind of surreal. According to I Love Old School Music, two of the most powerful Black leaders in the country spoke out against Clark's and ABC's move. Don Cornelius Net Worth Monique "Mo'Que" Chambers (Soul Train dancer): He's a businessman. It was a time when dance music was spawned from almost every musical genre. ", "The first time I went on," she continued, "it was bittersweet because I did not know that we were going to be waiting outside of the gates of the studio and jockeying for position. In 1980, only a year after The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" became the first hip-hop song to hit the top 40, Kurtis Blow became the first hip-hop artist to appear on the program. [10][11] MadVision then came to terms with Paramount Global-owned BET to relaunch the Soul Train Music Awards for BET's spin-off channel, Centric, in November 2009. According to Dazed Digital, the show went from asking artists to perform to artists themselves getting in contact with Cornelius asking to appear on the show. Cornelius had met the young dancer in Washington and told her if she moved out to Hollywood, she would get a chance to dance on the show. Soul Train/Soul Train via Getty Images Abdurraqib: [Don Cornelius] stopped hosting in '93. This is a list of episodes for the musical variety show Soul Train. Archived episodes can also be seen on Bounce TV. Soul Train then produced the short-lived Soul Train Comedy Awards in 1993, which discontinued that same year. But I think this period was a very game-changing time for music and for pop culture, and it was so clearly represented on the Soul Train dance floor.. Centric would broadcast archived episodes of the program. Despite his popularity with the younger audience, Clark and the executive producer Cornelius butted heads behind the scenes, leading to his departure. Soul Train made its national television premiere 50 years ago, in October 1971. Cornelius and Soul Train's syndicator targeted 25 markets outside of Chicago to carry the show, but stations in only seven other citiesAtlanta; Birmingham; Cleveland; Detroit; Houston; Los Angeles; and Philadelphiapurchased the program, which began airing on a weekly basis on October 2, 1971. You know, females will be females. Cheryl Song (Soul Train dancer): Being able to dance on Soul Train was my release. These are things that Black people knew existed, but it wasn't widely represented on television. The years of the songs on the show span from 1975 to 1985, Cassidy tells Variety. He was 75. Soul Train became the new Apollo for black artists She was doing her thing, and I was doing my thing. In 2003, Dorian Gregory took over as the host, and stayed until the end of the show's run in 2006. In addition, there was an in-studio group of dancers who danced along to the music as it was being performed. hide caption. It was really crazy." That was the last time she'd dance on the show. He goes, 'I'll pay you sixteen hundred dollars.' Across its 36-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. Cornelius hosted both the local Chicago-based and national Los Angelesbased programs simultaneously, but soon focused his attention solely on the national edition. [3], The program's immediate success attracted the attention of another locally based firmthe Johnson Products Company (manufacturers of the Afro Sheen line of hair-care products)and they later agreed to co-sponsor the program's expansion into broadcast syndication. People really wanted to see it. It's the Soul Train dancers.' In an interview, Cornelius stated, "I could be like 'yowassup!' He was mentored by veteran Black comedians Robin Harris and Reynaldo Rey. ", "Here's ?uestlove's 'Soul Train' Book, With a Preface by Nick Cannon", "Don Cornelius dies at 75; creator of 'Soul Train', "She took the Soul Train to stardom: Once a voice in the background, Jody Watley has burst onto the pop charts in her own right", "Lauryn Hill, TLC Top Lady Of Soul Awards", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soul_Train&oldid=1149969966, First-run syndicated television programs in the United States, Television series by Tribune Entertainment, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Group or Duo, Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year and. By the end of the first couple of years, it was airing in more than 25 markets, and it continued growing. In 2016, USA Today reported that the BET Network acquired Soul Train. However, while on the show, she tried to hide her identity. After only a year, Soul Train started securing sponsorships, moved to Los Angeles and expanded into national syndication on October 2, 1971. Clark lasted only two years as the full-time host. No negotiation. Lena Horne Award for Outstanding Career Achievements. I think this era in particular speaks to the legacy of Soul Train in a unique way because the era was so transformative. As the program was taped and aired weekly, she remembers working from morning to midnight in the studio. The most memorable aspect of Soul Train, even more than Don Cornelius himself, were the dancers on the program and the "Soul Train Line." During the four years, the show featured a revolving door of celebrity guest hosts from all corners of the Black entertainment industry. I was like, 'Oh, we're outta here.' By Joel Keller Feb 5, 2019. "Rosie was a very sweet lady, but she was one hell of a dancer. I was like, What? Hip-hop had moved to the center of the Black music world, and it was no secret that Cornelius was not a huge fan of it. He told me how talented I was and how proud he was of me. Off White on Soul Train You know, all of the '70s style, from the bell bottoms to the hats and then he had this baritone voice and he had the afro, which in the '70s was huge. In place of new content, for two seasons starting in the 20062007 season, the program aired archived episodes (selected from between 1973 and 1988) under the title The Best of Soul Train.[7]. I couldn't move. Despite a small budget to find musicians and dancers for the program, Soul Train was greenlit and premiered in 1970. Cornelius was not alone in his distaste for hip-hop, as detailed in an article for Rhyme Sayers,as many funk and soul artist took potshots at the new genre in its early days, Cornelius was not so set in his ways to ignore the genre. A bunch of nerves just oozing out of my body. It got so popular that these kids were wrapped around the corner waiting to get on the dance show. The Johnson-InterMedia consortium planned on a potential film project that Cornelius had briefly mentioned prior to selling the franchise, as well as producing potential stage adaptations and a cruise. on This Day - Soul Train | TV Show, Host, & Facts | Britannica After only a year, Soul Train started securing sponsorships, moved to Los Angeles and expanded into national syndication on October 2, 1971. A business meal turned social as, for the first time, he inquired about her background and family. Soul Train Awards This is also a list for the Best of Soul Train reruns that aired from 2006 until the show's cancellation in September 2008. Al Green performs on Soul Train in 1974. Stream It Or Skip It: 'American Soul' On BET, About Don Cornelius, The Man Who Brought Us 'Soul Train'. Rap pioneers Kurtis Blow and Melle Mel will be among the verse Which was great at times but sometimes was not so great. Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic. By the time I got to the end of the line, I was just in hysterics. Don Cornelius was born and raised in Chicago. According to SBS, Cornelius hosted a television program, A Blacks' View of the News, in the late 1960s, while at the same time he pitched the station a program mirroring the music programs of the era, with a focus on African-American music. And similar to the show itself, its origins can be found in American Bandstand, as the Soul Train Line was an updated version of a popular 1950s dancing crazed called, "The Stroll," as told by See It Live. hide caption. I was just excited and nervous and scared and just elated. Just do her move strong. Legendary Soul Train creator and host Don Cornelius was despondent over his rapidly deteriorating health when he shot himself in the head last February, his final WebSoul Train. The dates shown are original air dates, but some dates are approximate because in the 1970s, most syndication markets did not get the episodes at the same time, so the dates shown are the first airings of the episodes.
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