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Soul Train
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Soul Train is a long-running, music-related, syndicated television program. Soul Train has primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although jazz musicians and gospel singers have also appeared. The program was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and continues to serve as its executive producer.
HistorySoul Train premiered on WCIU-TV in Chicago on August 17, 1970 as a daily program. Its success attracted the attention of two Chicago-based companies -- the Johnson Products Company (manufacturers of the Afro Sheen line of hair-care products), and Sears, Roebuck and Co. -- who agreed to sponsor the program's expansion into syndication. Soul Train began airing in selected cities across the United States, on a weekly basis, on October 2, 1971. When it moved into syndication, the program's home base was also shifted to Los Angeles, where it remains to the present day. Syndication of the program was initially handled by Syndicast Services until 1985, when Tribune Entertainment took over those responsibilities.
Don Cornelius ended his run as host in 1996, 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.
The show is known for its animated opening title featuring the popular cartoon train.
As a nod to Soul Trains longevity, the show's opening sequence (during later seasons) contains a claim that it is 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.
Production of first-run episodes was suspended at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, the show's thirty-fifth. However, Soul Train has not been officially cancelled. Since the 2006-07 season, the program has been airing archived episodes from the 1970s through mid-1980s under the title "The Best of Soul Train", in lieu of new installments. The future of Soul Train was placed in further uncertainty with the announced closing of Tribune Entertainment's syndication division on December 18, 2007, leaving Don Cornelius Productions to seek a new distributor for the program. DCP then secured a deal with Trifecta Entertainment & Media, which also distributes another former Tribune Entertainment series, American Idol Rewind.
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.
InfluenceDuring the heyday of Soul Train in the 1970s and 1980s, the program was widely influential among younger black 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.
Program elementsWithin the structure of the program, there have been two enduring elements. The first is 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 famous person in African American history. In describing the person's renown, the host concludes with the phrase "whose name you should know".
Near the program's conclusion, there is 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. (This element has become a part of pop culture as partygoers and nightclub patrons often break into a "Soul Train Line".)
In addition, there is an in-studio group of dancers who dance along to the music as it is 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 disco 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 appear on Soul Train generally lip-sync their songs to its recorded version, though several have chosen to sing their songs live. Each guest usually performs twice on each program; after their first number, they are joined by the program host on-stage for a brief interview.
The show is 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-offsIn 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 last aired in 2006.
The Soul Train Music Awards were most recently held on March 10, 2007. In April 2008 Don Cornelius announced that year's ceremony had been cancelled. Cornelius cited the three-month-long strike by the Writers Guild of America as one of the reasons, though a main factor may have been the uncertainty surrounding Soul Trains future. Cornelius also announced that a motion picture based on the program is currently in development and could be released theatrically in 2009.
Theme musicBesides hosting and producing Soul Train, Don Cornelius also commissioned the show's theme song.
When Soul Train first premiered in 1971, a funky instrumental called "Hot Potatoes" by King Curtis (later redone by The Rimshots) was used as the show's theme.
Then in 1973, the show changed its theme to the well-known "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", recorded by Philadelphia soul studio group MFSB, with vocals by the Three Degrees. Released as a single, this song became a pop and R&B radio hit in 1973. Soul Train used "TSOP" until 1975.
In 1975, the show's in-house group The Soul Train Gang came up with "Soul Train '75" which was later released as a single for the newly formed Soul Train Records. This theme was only used for the 1975–1976 season.
From 1976 to 1978, Soul Train used another theme from the Soul Train Gang called "Soul Train '76 (Get on Board)".
In 1978, a new theme was introduced: "Soul Train '78", produced by the Hollywood Disco Jazz Band and sung by The Waters, was used until the middle half of the 1979–1980 season when it switched to "Up on Soul Train", and after several episodes into the 1980-1981 season by The Whispers , in 1980.
For several seasons beginning in the early middle of the 1982-1983 season, the program switched to another theme created by R&B artist O'Bryan. This lesser-known theme to the program, "Soul Train's a Comin'" , had a funkier beat and a stronger bass line and it was used for one season and (later redone as the "Special Remix Version" of Soul Train's a Comin' "Party Down") in the 1983-1984 season.
In 1987, George Duke composed the first remake of "TSOP", known as "TSOP '87", and Duke also remixed the theme into a newer version ("TSOP '89") in 1989.
"Soul Train '93" (Know You Like to Dance)" performed by the rap group Naughty by Nature with a saxophone solo by Everette Harp, was introduced in 1993.
More recently, another updated version of "TSOP", "TSOP 2000", has been used. However, at the beginning of the second half, "Know You Like to Dance" is still used.
See also
External links - (has not been updated since 2005)
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