RIP Don Cornelius, "Soul Train" creator & host, 75

[Wayback]

'Soul Train' creator Don Cornelius died this morning of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/remembering-don-cornelius-soul-train-creator-defined-an-era.html

Obit from AP: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/01/entertainment/e071554S43.DTL&ao=all

[RGMike]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

[urth]

A video posted by a friend on FB, possibly the best Soul Train commercial ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8ffzI2czHs&feature=share

 

[RGMike]

A video posted by a friend on FB, possibly the best Soul Train commercial ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8ffzI2czHs&feature=share

Some Afro-Sheen , some Afro-Kleen, some Afro-Fluid, some Afro-Do-It-To-It!  That is truly hilarious.

My fave Cornelius story (well, aside from the rumors about him supposedly being on the down-low) was when the great underrated '70s group Ecstasy Passion & Pain made the first of many appearances on ST. They were 2 men and a woman -- a tall striking woman who played guitar and had a HUUUUUGE 'fro. She was quite stunning. And they did their song and then Don came sauntering over, mic in hand, and he sidled up to the woman and cooed "Well, ah guess you must be ECSTASY!"

[RGMike]

[Wayback]

Interesting: List of Soul Train Guests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_appeared_on_Soul_Train

[RGMike]

if you have Centric, they're running "Soul Train" classics all day today and again on Saturday...

http://www.centrictv.com/shows/schedule/

apparently they showed that Ecstasy Passion & Pain episode I mentioned above during the overnite hours.

[RGMike]

and the first white solo artists to appear on Soul Train was... no, not Elton.  It was Gino Vannelli, in Feb of '75 (3 months before EJ did "Philly Freedom" on ST)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn_j8bWWepo

technically the first white performer on ST was Dennis Coffey, but his Detroit Guitar Band was an integrated ensemble.