Love, peace and soul!

Don Cornelius, creator and host of Soul Train, died today at age 75, reportedly by suicide. I won’t pretend to know what his life was like or what drove him to kill himself, but I respect him as a man who followed his dreams and changed the face of television on many levels.

He was inspired by Dick Clark but had much more style and charted his own path in the world of music-related television.

There was still racial prejudice and segregation in the 1970s when that show began, but they usually didn't make it an issue. Soul Train was about music, culture and lifestyle for black youth but everyone could benefit from the experience. It was well done and fun to watch. I used to watch the show regularly and some of my favorite singers at the time were featured guests … Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, even Michael Jackson. The dance line was cool … I never knew if those were just people who showed up to be on the show or if they were professional dancers. Either way, they were very good.

Here are a few stories and video clips. I’ll close my part of this post with the words he closed his show with each week: we wish you love, peace and soul!"

Intro 1982 –

Soul Train Intro (1982) by johnnyaalaska

The dance line -

SOUL TRAIN LINE Dance With Me, by Chaka Kahn by Discolarry125

The story tonight on CBS -



Click HERE for bio information.