Soul Train still lives on...

On Saturday, February 4th, New York City was alive and kicking once again to celebrate the life of Don Cornelius, the man who created Soul Train. Soul Train was a household name and Chicago based television program, premiering in 1971. The first guests to grace the Soul Train stage were, Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight and The Pips and The Honey Cones. Soul Train captured the latest fashions, dances and had all the hip artists. While some will compare Soul Train to American Bandstand, in my opinion, there was no comparison. I can remember Soul Train coming on television every Saturday morning in Ohio and seeing the various African American commercials for the first time whether hair care products, alcoholic beverage ads, and McDonald’s ads featuring African American children.

New York City paid homage to Don Cornelius in great fashion. If you aren’t there, you missed a traditional Soul Train line that everyone in the African American community uses at family gatherings. Take a look. Soul Train Line . The Soul Train line was a climatic event and as a child, we couldn’t wait to see what the dancers were going to do and what they were going to wear.

As the entertainment business continues to evolve, I hope that we can take a page from Don Cornelius and his vision. He saw a market untapped and brought it to television. We no longer have Soul Train or American Bandstand in which the hottest artists were given access to the world of television to promote their music. With the advances being made in technology, it’s almost a wonder that we even need a television any longer. I believe the entertainment industry is still missing the boat on television programs that promote dancing, fashion, artists promoting their latest music and the fun of it all. When we think about it, doesn’t dancing, music, fashion and television go hand in hand?

References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTzsOLUggDk

http://www.tv.com/shows/soul-train/gladys-knight-and-the-pips-eddie-kendricks-the-honey-cone-bobby-hutton-110061/

http://news.yahoo.com/soul-train-fans-bop-broadway-cornelius-fete-231723848.html