The pioneering media mogul, Don Cornelius,75, was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home Wednesday morning. He was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 4:56 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
As host of Soul Train, Don Cornelius invited the world to a multicultural dance party and introduced his audience to new talent that would become legendary R&B stars e.g., Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, James Brown, Jerry Butler, and Marvin Gaye,.
As a teen in Chicago, I watched Dick Clark's American Bandstand from Philadelphia every afternoon when I came home from school. I knew the names of all the young white couples, e.g., Arlene and Kenny or Justine and Bob. I even got the chance to appear on the local Chicago version hosted by Jim Lonsberry. But, nothing prepared the public for the gyrations and fashion style of the Soul Train dancers that Don Cornelius presented. Even in 2011, my family has watched tapes from old "Soul Train" episodes, enjoying the dancing and chuckling a bit at the fashion.
USA Today presented the iconic show's history:
Cornelius developed his brainchild while working as a journalist and DJ in Chicago. Soul Train started in 1970 as a daily after-school dance show on WCIU and it was supported by such local acts as Curtis Mayfield and The Chi-Lites. The show was sponsored by Johnson Products, makers of Afro Sheen, and with owner George Johnson's help, Cornelius was able to move production to Los Angeles for the weekly syndicated show that premiered in 1971. Stations skeptical of the unproven series were won over when Gladys Knight agreed to do the pilot. Other artists were quick to jump on board.
Cornelius would host the show until 1993. The Train stayed on the tracks for another 13 years with assorted hosts. By the time he sold it to MadVision Entertainment in 2008, he had created an empire that included the Soul Train Music Awards and the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
The show, the longest running, first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history, was rife with iconic elements. There was the Soul Train line in which pairs of dancers popped creative dance moves and flashed outrageous fashions on their way down. The Scrabble Board gave two dancers 60 seconds to unscramble the name of a notable African-American entertainer or historical figure.
When it was time to go, the host always reassured viewers with his signature sign-off: "And you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!"
Rest in Peace Don Cornelius. You'll always be remembered.
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