Last night, the Paley Center for Media hosted a screening of VH1′s latest documentary, “Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America” accompanied with a panel featuring Big Bank Hank (The Sugar Hill Hang), Tyrone Proctor (Dancer/Choreographer), Amir “?uestlove” Thompson (this drummer with an afro…’eva heard of The Roots?) and moderator, Danyel Smith (journalist/writer).
The documentary, narrated by Terrence Howard, was a 90 minute history of Soul Train, but more so an introspection of the show’s creator and owner Don Cornelius- all told via archival footage and interviews with artists, dancers and the Don (talk about living up to your name!). The documentary let you in on the ride Don Cornelius set out on with the goal to create a black American Bandstand. Cornelius’ drive was because he wanted to see Black America portrayed in a positive light on TV and not as the stereotypical deviants as portrayed prominently during that time. You also learn how the dancers were picked and why live acts eventually became infrequent despite the impact and benefit of a live performance on the show.
I really enjoyed learning Don’s history as an interviewer during the Civil Rights movement, his drive, struggles and eventually unprecedented success with Soul Train all the way to his eventual sign off and stepping down from the show.
Viewers will be able to see how he took a show that was never recorded in the first season and then set out to the bright lights of Hollywood hell bent on getting Soul in bigger markets. Through interviews with soul train dancers, you learn the intense taping schedules and the intense rivalry that got going once the red light was on and signaled the camera was recording.
The documentary goes on to tell how the initial struggle to find dancers (which, let’s be honest, made the show what it is) when it relocated. After the show got bigger, Don had to fend off Dick Clark who was making a run for Soul Train via his short lived “Soul Unlimited” and the threat of disco. “I thought disco’s repetitive music took out the soul, but later I set out to play the best black music out and if you happened to call it soul, that was up to you.”~Don C
Each panelist spoke of the power of the show, what it meant to be a part of it and some of their first experiences with Don Cornelius. Tyrone Proctor, a Soul Train Dancer, gave the best stories/insight such as Don writing him a check so Proctor could pay the taxes on the car he won on American Bandstand and the fact that “dancers were and still are near the bottom of the totem pole of the industry, despite being the most physical.”
Other “damn I didn’t know that” moments that the documentary gives- white artists played on soul train, namely Sir Elton John, David Bowie and several others; Rosie Perez got down as a Soul Train Dancer; Don was adverse to Hip Hop culture which he, like the rest of America, thought was a passing fad. You see this in an awkward live moment between Don and Kurtis Blow when Don basically says he doesn’t get why people like rap. The unfettering growth of hip hop culture eventually led to Don c signing off which led the way for the shark jump as the conductor of soul train was know Shemar More.
I grew up seeing some Don Cornelius followed by other hosts on Soul Train. It was on Saturday around noon on Channel 11 (Brooklyn boy). I eventually had to jump off the train when it changed conductors to Shemar Mar. I tried to hang on but realized our relationship was just awkward.
Last night, it was revealed that group that currently owns Soul Train’s video library is planning a release in February 2009 via Time Life.
Without a doubt, Don Cornelius did a great deal for Black America, its music and its integration.
“Every black wedding had a Soul Train line. We would close out wedding by thanking God with a prayer and then Don Cornelius.” ~ Cedric the entertainer
Browse Timeline
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
