Soul Train is a syndicated, music-related television program. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by rhythm and blues, soul, and hip hop artists, although jazz musicians and gospel singers have also appeared.
The show was known for its animated opening titles and sequences between musical performances featuring the popular cartoon train created by various cartoon studios. As a nod to Soul Train' s longevity, the show's opening sequence (during later seasons) also contained a claim that it was the "longest-running, first-run, nationally-syndicated program in television history," with over 1,100 episodes produced from the show's debut through the 2005-06 season.
The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer, and aired from 1971 to 2006, with reruns continuing until 2008. Despite this, in years on air, Soul Train will continue to hold the honor of the longest, continuously-running first-run syndicated program until at least 2016, if and when its nearest competitor, Entertainment Tonight , completes its 35th season. (If ET does not complete a 35th season, Wheel of Fortune would pass in 2017 if it continues to air.)
History
Chicago origins
The origins of Soul Train can be traced to 1965, when WCIU-TV, an upstart UHF station in Chicago, began airing two youth-oriented dance programs: Kiddie-a-Go-Go and Red Hot and Blues . These two programs—specifically the latter, which featured a predominantly African American group of in-studio dancers—would set the stage for what was to come to the station several years later.
Don Cornelius, a news reader and backup disc jockey at Chicago radio station WVON, was hired by WCIU in 1967 as a news and sports reporter. Cornelius also was emceeing a touring series of concerts featuring local talent (sometimes called "record hops") at Chicago-area high schools, calling his travelling caravan of shows "The Soul Train". WCIU-TV took notice of Cornelius's outside work, and in 1970 allowed him the opportunity to bring his road show to television.
After securing a sponsorship deal with the Chicago-based retailer Sears, Roebuck and Co., Soul Train premiered on WCIU-TV on August 17, 1970 as a live show airing weekday afternoons. The first episode of the program featured Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lites, and the Emotions as guests.
Move to syndication
Its immediate success attracted the attention of another locally-based firm—the Johnson Products Company (manufacturers of the Afro Sheen line of hair-care products) -- and they later agreed to co-sponsor the program's expansion into national syndication. Cornelius and Soul Train' s syndicator, Syndicast Services, targeted 24 markets outside of Chicago to carry the show, but stations in only seven cities -- Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco -- purchased the program, which began airing on a weekly basis on October 2, 1971. By the end of the first season, Soul Train was on in the other seventeen markets.
When the program moved into syndication, its home base was also shifted to Los Angeles, where it remained for the duration of its run. Syndication of the program was initially handled by Syndicast Services until 1985, when Chicago-based Tribune Entertainment took over those responsibilities. Though Don Cornelius moved his operations west, Soul Train continued in Chicago. Cornelius hosted the local Chicago and Los Angeles-based national programs simultaneously, but soon focused his attention solely on the national edition. He continued to oversee production in Chicago, where WCIU-TV aired episodes until 1976, followed by three years of once-weekly reruns.
Later years
Don Cornelius ended his run as host in 1993, and guest hosts were used from that time until 1997, when comedian Mystro Clark began a two-year stint as host. Clark was replaced by actor Shemar Moore in 1999. In 2003, Moore was succeeded by actor Dorian Gregory, who hosted through 2006.
Production of first-run episodes was suspended at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, the show's thirty-fifth. For two seasons starting in 2006-07, the program aired archived episodes (all from between 1974 and 1987) under the title, "The Best of Soul Train ". The future of Soul Train was uncertain with the announced closing of Tribune Entertainment's syndication division on December 18, 2007, which left Don Cornelius Productions to seek a new distributor for the program. Cornelius soon secured a deal with Trifecta Entertainment & Media.
In May 2008, the rights to the Soul Train library were purchased by MadVision Entertainment, whose principal partners come from the entertainment and publishing fields. The price and terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, by the start of the 2008-09 television season, the Tribune-owned stations (including national carrier WGN America) that had been the linchpin of the show's syndication efforts dropped the program, and many others followed suit. Soul Train' s website acknowledged that the program had ceased distribution on September 22, 2008.
Revival
When Don Cornelius Productions still owned the program, clips of the show's performances and interviews were kept away from online video sites such as YouTube, due to copyright infringement claims. Cornelius also frowned upon unauthorized distribution of Soul Train episodes through the sale of third-party VHS or DVD compilations.
Following the purchase of the program's library by MadVision Entertainment, the Soul Train archives were exposed to new forms of distribution. In April 2009, MadVision launched a Soul Train channel on YouTube. Three months later, the company entered into an licensing agreement with Time–Life to distribute Soul Train DVD sets. MadVision then came to terms with Viacom-owned Black Entertainment Television to relaunch the Soul Train Music Awards for BET's new spin-off channel, Centric, in November 2009, a move which may be one step into reviving the program. Centric, which launched on September 28, 2009 (replacing BET J), is currently broadcasting archived episodes of the program.
Influence
During the heyday of Soul Train in the 1970s and 1980s, the program was widely influential among younger African Americans, many of whom turned to it not only to hear the latest songs by well-known black artists but also for clues about the latest fashions and dance trends. Moreover, for many white Americans in that era who were not living in areas that were racially diverse, Soul Train provided a unique window into black culture. Some commentators have called Soul Train a "black American Bandstand ", another long-running program with which Soul Train shares some similarities. Cornelius, however, tended to bristle at the Bandstand comparison.
Program elements
Within the structure of the program, there were two enduring elements. The first was the "Soul Train Scramble Board", where two dancers are given sixty seconds to unscramble a set of letters which form the name of that show's performer or a notable person in African American history. In describing the person's renown, the host concluded their description with the phrase "...whose name you should know" .
Near the program's conclusion, there was also the popular "Soul Train Line", in which all the dancers form two lines with a space in the middle for individual dancers to strut down and dance in consecutively. Sometimes, new dance styles or moves are featured or introduced by particular dancers.
In addition, there was an in-studio group of dancers who danced along to the music as it was being performed. Rosie Perez, Carmen Electra, Nick Cannon, MC Hammer, Jermaine Stewart, Fred "Rerun" Berry, Pebbles, and NFL legend Walter Payton were among those who got noticed dancing on the program over the years. Two former dancers, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel, enjoyed years of success as members of the R&B group Shalamar after they (along with singer Howard Hewett) were tabbed by Soul Train talent booker/record promoter Dick Griffey to replace the group's original session singers in 1977.
Performers who appeared on Soul Train generally lip-synched their songs to its recorded version, though several chose to sing their songs live. Each guest usually performed twice on each program; after their first number, they were joined by the program host on-stage for a brief interview.
The show was also known for two popular catchphrases: Referring to itself as the "hippest trip in America" at the beginning of the show; and for closing the program with, "...We wish you love, peace... and SOUL!"
Spin-offs
In 1987, Soul Train launched the Soul Train Music Awards , which honors the top performances in R&B, hip-hop, and gospel music (and, in its earlier years, jazz music) from the previous year. Soul Train later created two additional annual specials: The Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards , first airing in 1995, celebrated top achievements by female performers; and the Soul Train Christmas Starfest , which premiered in 1998, featured holiday music performed by a variety of R&B and gospel artists. The Lady of Soul Awards and Christmas Starfest programs
National Soul Line Dance Association
"The preservation, protection and promotion of the African American Art form Soul Line, Soulful Line Dancing, Black Line Dancing
Wilkins School Community Center
click to return to WSCC home page. Wilkins School Community Center. Saturday Soul Line Dance Party. Most Every Saturday from 12:30 - 3:30 * Soul Line Dancing provides a great mind ...
SSLDC: Jewel Lucas
JEWEL LUCAS Soul Line Dance Instructor. THURSDAY EVENING and SATURDAY MORNING Stanford Soul Line Dance Class Schedule & Location. MONDAY 10:30am-1pm Soul Line Dance Class
YouTube - Swing & Soul Line Dance 2008 (part 3)
Here is the Swing & Soul line dance for 2008. This is part 3 and helping me out are the lovely and talented Ramona Staffeld and Naomi Uyama (with Andy Reid on camera duties and ...
Soul Line Dance Community
Soul Line Dance Community is a social network on Ning ... Books by Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson: The King of Pop by Lisa D. Campbell
Soul Line Dance on blip.tv
Now you can get Soul Line Dance displayed right on your own Web site! It's easy. Just configure a Show Player and then grab the copy & paste code at the bottom of this page and ...
Stanford Soul Line Dance Class
word is out that the stanford soul line dancers are the best in the bay area, and, they're really good at soul line dancing, too.
YouTube - Soul Train Line Dance to Aretha Franklin "Rock Steady"
Maybe this isn't nice to say but wow seems like even the nerds (2:05 dance well ....The couple at .48 is so young. 14 years old? And finally just lmao at the idea that you ...
Stanford Soul Line Dance Class
Having presided over criminal and civil cases as a California state court judge for 19 years, I yearned for something new, something different, something to giv ...