Courtesy of USAToday.com
Back in the 1970s, if there was a party on a Saturday night, the fly dances being done probably had been scoped out on TV that afternoon. Teenagers — and their parents, too — knew that being down with the latest moves and styles meant getting your ticket punched by Don Cornelius.
Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America, a 90-minute VH1 Rock Docs film celebrating the 40th anniversary of the culturally influential music show Cornelius created, premieres Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET/PT). Soul Train would chug across screens for 1,100 episodes, giving hundreds of R&B, soul, funk, blues and pop stars national exposure and opening a window to African-American culture for mainstream viewers. On the air from 1970 to 2006 (two years of reruns followed), it became the longest first-run series in syndication history.
Terrence Howard narrates the film, which was scored by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots and features commentary from Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Sly Stone, Clive Davis, Smokey Robinson, Snoop Dogg and others.
In 1970, none of the prominent dance shows, including American Bandstand, routinely featured black artists or teens. But a Chicago journalist with a sonorous baritone had an idea to change all that. “The primary mission was to provide exposure for people who didn’t get invited to The Mike Douglas Show or (Johnny) Carson,” says Cornelius, 73, who started Soul Train on Chicago’s WCIU before moving it to Los Angeles and syndication a year later.
Cornelius, a former DJ, was able to tap into Chicago’s wealth of musical talent (Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, The Emotions, The Chi-Lites) to give his fledgling show star power. Gladys Knight & the Pips did the syndication pilot, and Chicago-based Johnson Products Company, makers of Afro Sheen, signed on as sponsor. The show soon had artists clamoring to appear and ultimately featured future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, one-hit wonders and everybody in between.
But it was the teens who really stoked the engine with their flamboyant outfits and flashy dance steps. The original dancers were recruited from recreation centers around L.A., and later dancers needed a referral from someone already on the show. Singer Jody Watley, who started dancing on the show when she was 14, remembers weekend tapings that would start at 9 a.m. and last into the night.
“There were no choreographers and stylists,” Watley says. “You had to look cool. We didn’t get paid for it. We did it for the love of dancing and to be seen. All we got was a cold Kentucky Fried Chicken box and a soda.”
Cornelius sold the franchise to MadVision Entertainment in 2008. In addition to the documentary, a Soul Train movie is under consideration, and there’s a deal with Time Life to release DVDs of the vintage shows. So even in retirement, Cornelius will still be heard giving his famous sign-off: “And you can bet your last money, it’s gonna be a stone gas, honey! … We wish you love, peace and soul!”
See how we got down back in the day….
This is Black History. Each one teach one.
