The outpouring of celebration over the life of the late Don Cornelius has been as remarkable as the legendary TV show he created, Soul Train, which in its time, was the hippest place in the world to be.
Non-stop tributes have occurred since Cornelius’s untimely passing on the morning of February 1, including spontaneous Soul Train dance lines popping up in Chicago and New York’s Time Square.
People from all walks of life have reminisced about their days of watching the show, grooving to the jams and trying to imitate the latest moves, while taking in the bold fashions of the Soul Train dancers.
Born on September 27, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois, Don Cornelius created Soul Train, a music show made for African Americans by African Americans, which spent more than 30 years on the air.
He grew up on the South Side, and after graduating from DuSable High School in 1954, served a stint in the Marines. Once he got out, Cornelius sold tires, cars and insurance before taking a course in broadcasting in 1966, looking to break into the field. To realize his dream, he worked as a substitute deejay, filling in for other on-air personalities and in the news department of WVON radio here in Chicago.
Switching to television, Cornelius became a sports anchor and the host of A Black’s View of the News on WCIU in 1968. He got to know the station owners, and pitched them his idea for a music television program.
Using $400 of his own money, Cornelius created a pilot for Soul Train, which was named after a promotional event he put together in 1969. Inspired by Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, the show featured teenagers dancing to the latest soul and R&B music as well as a performance by a musical guest. “Almost all of what I learned about mounting and hosting a dance show I learned from Dick Clark,” Cornelius once told Advertising Age.
Soul Train’s Beginning
Premiering on August 17, 1970, Soul Train became an instant hit. It aired on Saturday mornings, attracting a lot of children and teenagers off from school.
An early supporter, businessman George Johnson of the Johnson Products Company (JPC), helped Cornelius make Soul Train a national television program. It was syndicated in 1971, but it was initially difficult getting stations sign up for the show.
In addition to Chicago, stations in Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco were among the first to air Soul Train.
Says Eric Brown, now CEO of Johnson Products, “Don’s company and our company grew side-by-side with the advent of JPC’s joint project Soul Train, the first nationally syndicated TV show for, by, about and sponsored by African Americans.
“The two companies made history together –– Don provided the content and taught America how to dance, while Johnson Products provided the sponsorship through our never before seen commercials featuring Black beauty and Black products.
“Many take it for granted because today it is quite common to see Black reporters, show hosts, and actors/actresses in shows and commercials, but when Don Cornelius and Johnson Products started Soul Train, it was virtually unheard of.”
With his deep voice and distinguished good looks, Cornelius was the ideal host. Over the years, he presented many famous performers to his television audience, including Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Lou Rawls and Aretha Franklin , among others.
The show was not always wedded to its soul and R&B focus, though. Rock acts such as David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Elton John and Duran Duran also made appearances on the show from time to time, as did jazz and reggae stars.
In 1987, Cornelius started the Soul Train Music Awards. Dionne Warwick and Luther Vandross served as hosts of the first ceremony, which honored Stevie Wonder with the Heritage Award for outstanding career achievements.
Whitney Houston, LL Cool J, and Run DMC were among the night’s performers. Over the years, other music stars appeared on the show, including Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Usher and Ciara, and more awards were added.
In a special tribute on his Sunday V103 show last week, Herb Kent pointed out, “Without Don Cornelius and the Soul Train, music wouldn’t be what it is today. He gave R&B music a giant boost.”
Herb Kent the Cool Gent, a radio legend himself, was a former co-worker of Cornelius’ at WVON-AM, and life long friend. He shared his many memories throughout the day, and additionally, fans called into the WVAZ-FM studios all Sunday afternoon to share their reflections of Don Cornelius.
Changing the Show
When American Bandstand went off the air in 1989, Soul Train was still going strong. But Cornelius continuously looked for ways to freshen up the show. In 1993, he gave up his duties as host and brought in guest hosts.
“I had come to believe that the era of the well-spoken, well-dressed Dick Clark, Don Cornelius-type in a suit and a tie was over … I am just convinced that people want to see people on TV who are more like themselves,” he explained at the time to The New York Times.
In 1995, Cornelius launched the Lady of Soul Awards. The first honorees were Debbie Allen, who received the Lena Horne Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment, and Salt-N-Pepa, who received the Aretha Franklin Award. Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, and Brandy performed during that first ceremony. Later on, both Brandy and Queen Latifah won the Aretha Franklin Award.
Chicagos 40th Anniversary Soul Train Concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion September 5, 2011 Chicago
Getting performers for Soul Train was sometimes a challenge for Cornelius. In 2001, he complained about MTV’s booking practices for its own award shows, which call for acts not to appear on competing programs within 30 days of the event.
“It’s anti-competitive behavior that needs to be addressed at the Federal Trade Commission level,” he told the Los Angeles Times. He thought the tactic was especially egregious because of the cable music channel’s early history of not showing videos by African-American artists.
By 2005, Soul Train was being seen in 105 cities, reaching an estimated 85 percent of Black households, according to the show’s website.
The Final Years
After the end of Soul Train, Cornelius told the Los Angeles Times that he was in discussions to create a movie based on the famous franchise.
“It wouldn’t be the Soul Train dance show; it would be more of a biographical look at the project,” he said. “It’s going to be about some of the things that really happened on the show.”
But life took a dark turn for Cornelius in 2008, when he was arrested and charged with spousal battery, dissuading a witness from making a police report, and assault with a deadly weapon.
He pled no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence and was sentenced to three years probation. The incident led to a bitter divorce battle between Cornelius and his wife, Viktoria, in 2009.
During their feuding, which lasted for over a year, Cornelius also suffered from multiple health issues, including a stroke and several undisclosed ailments that required brain surgery.
The legal proceedings took an emotional toll on Cornelius, who made the statement within his divorce documentation that, “I am 72 years old. I have significant health issues. I want to finalize this divorce before I die.”
In 2010, Cornelius was granted his divorce. But the savvy businessman never quite recovered from the turmoil. On February 1, 2012, at approximately 4 a.m., police officials discovered Cornelius’ body at his California home.
He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head that the coroner ruled was self-inflicted. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that morning.
Last September, Cornelius was coaxed back to Chicago from his California home for a week of festivities honoring the show’s 40th anniversary. About 15,000 people attended a concert at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park headlined by his friends Jerry Butler, the Impressions, the Emotions and the Chi-Lites. Cornelius, dressed in black leather, got the biggest ovation.
“It was pretty emotional,” said radio broadcaster Richard Steele, an old friend who co-hosted the concert with Herb Kent. “To look out and see all those people who came because it was ‘Soul Train,’ he was really moved by that.”
“At the end they also presented him with a street sign,” said Steele, now a host and producer at WBEZ-FM 91.5. “He was pretty shook up. … When he did the customary sign-off he used to do, ‘Love, peace and soul,’ well, they went crazy.”
Cornelius is survived by two sons, Anthony and Raymond…and of course, the everlasting memories of the Soul Train.
(This story was based on a biography of Don Cornelius on A&E Television Networks’ website, and the Chicago Tribune.)
